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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27213553">Crazy Trust Thing</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/eclipsingbinary/pseuds/eclipsingbinary'>eclipsingbinary</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Recovery Tales [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, Team as Family, Whump</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 19:20:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>23,876</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27213553</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/eclipsingbinary/pseuds/eclipsingbinary</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Black Bulls are given an undercover mission to take down mage-traffickers on the border.  It sounds dangerous to Finral, but anything is better than being in the Capital when his family arrives for Langris’s Magic Knight Exam.  Yami would just like his ride to come off the roof.</p><p>Featuring hurt Finral, lots of comfort, finding a family and finding a home.</p><p>Also known as “the story of why Captain Yami never asks Finral to ‘push past his limits’ when he says he cannot make a portal.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Finral Roulacase &amp; Yami Sukehiro, Vanessa Enoteca &amp; Finral Roulacase, Vanessa Enoteca &amp; Yami Sukehiro</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Recovery Tales [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2004724</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>63</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>188</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first venture into this fandom.  I'm applying the 'write what you want to read'-philosophy, so expect hurt/comfort and team bonding.</p><p>The story is complete but requires a bit of polishing before I publish it.  It needs encouraging into chapters if nothing else.  If anyone is interested in beta-reading 25k of Finral whump to help it get into the real world faster, I'd be grateful.  </p><p>Please enjoy.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He was hurt, but it was hard to pinpoint anything more specific than his whole body.  He had been in the comfortable darkness of nothing just a moment before and he’d like to slip back, away from the pain and the smell of blood.  Perhaps if he lay still it could claim him again. </p>
<p>But then there was the noise.  </p>
<p>“Hey, Finral.  Wake up.  Wake up or I.  Will.  Kill.  You.”  Each word was punctuated with the crack of a palm slapped on the ground.</p>
<p>He did not want to wake up.  He wanted to go back to that nice warm darkness.  He tried to wave away the noise.  Just leave me alone, he would have said if his brain had been capable of creating speech.  He might have managed a moan, but it was hard to be sure.</p>
<p>That was a mistake.  Whoever was making the noise took this as proof that he was just about to return to consciousness and decided that shouting louder would help.</p>
<p>“FINRAL.  Now.   We need to get out of here RIGHT NOW.  And you are sleeping on the job.  Up, now.”</p>
<p>The darkness was retreating despite Finral’s efforts.  Perhaps it was chased away by the yelling.  He tried to open his eyes.  He could feel the pain becoming more focussed as it settled in his head, arm and ribs.  </p>
<p>“That’s it,” the yelling voice said.  “We’ve got a job to do, and you’re going to need to get up.”  </p>
<p>It was his boss.  Yami was the one yelling.  Oh shit.  He needed to get up.  He managed to pry his eyes open despite the stickiness holding them shut.  Blood, he thought, then decided it needed to be dealt with by some future, not lying on the ground-Finral.  His current self did not have room leftover beyond ‘hurts’, ‘cold,’ and ‘Yami needs me.’</p>
<p>There were blurred shapes in front of him, haloed by light.  He tried to concentrate, but it remained a pale fuzzy thing on top of a dark fuzzy thing.  “Good,” the voice said.  “You with me?”</p>
<p>He might have mumbled a reply to that.  He was not sure.</p>
<p>Then the pain exploded.  Someone had lifted him off the ground. The black swelled again and he knew he was not going to be able to hold on against it for long.  The shapes that he had only just realised belonged to Yami’s head and body had smeared into a mess of new light and dark that did not look like anything at all.</p>
<p>“Make a portal, Finral.  Get us out of here.”</p>
<p>Hmm.  Portal, he thought.  Yeah.  Portal.  He could do that.  There would be no prizes for technique, but he pulled on the mana around him.  Portal.  Make a portal.</p>
<p>The fuzziness shifted, the pain bloomed again and he was moving forward.  Forward into the familiar fizz of his own spatial magic.</p>
<p>Then white.  Cold.   He landed onto bones that he knew were already broken.  As the darkness claimed him again, he heard Yami say, “Damn, Finral.  Where did you…”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Let's get the story started with a bit of scene setting and some foreshadowing...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yami flung open the door to the common area of the Black Bulls’ barracks. His hope for a dramatic entrance was spoiled by two disappointing facts.</p><p>The first issue.  It was not the Black Bulls own common area, but a corner of the Grey Deer’s barracks that they had claimed for their own.  If you had asked the Deer, they would have explained it was more like a temporary, unofficial squat.</p><p>The second problem was that the room was empty.  There were bottles of wine around the sofa, a pile of half-finished reports on the table and the uneaten remains of lunch scattered around the floor.  It smelled of stale sweat.  He could hear the sounds of the Grey Deer mages in the adjacent rooms as they practiced spells and shouted orders at each other.</p><p>But there was no sign of his own squad.  </p><p>“Hey, Finral.  Vanessa,” he called, as if they could be hiding in the tiny room.  </p><p>Vanessa would be in town soaking up the atmosphere as hundreds of people descended on the city for the forthcoming magic knight examination.  The market would be busy with traders.  The bars and inns would be full of candidates and their families hoping to make an impression in a few days.  There would be money to spend and a rare mingling of commoner and minor nobles.   Vanessa would be enjoying the chance to get out of the barracks.</p><p>Charmy would be appreciating the new culinary opportunities that came with the influx of visitors.  Gordon?  Who knew what Gordon enjoyed doing, or why he enjoyed doing it.</p><p>On the other hand, Yami had a good idea what Finral was doing.  And why.</p><p>The boy had been listless for more than a week, only growing more so as the day of the exam grew closer.  He spent hours looking out the little window at the crowds.  Vanessa’s attempts to drag him out to have fun had been met with irritation and Gordon’s mumbles had triggered sighs.  Charmy had tried food, Yami had tried drinking.  Nothing had brought him out of his funk.  </p><p>His little brother Langris was due to take the magic knight examination this year.  The Vaude family would be arriving with the golden boy any day now.  There had been a murmuring among the Captains that Langris's offensive spacial magic was very interesting indeed.  </p><p>Finral did not discuss this with his team.  He just became more withdrawn as the days passed.</p><p>So Yami was pleased when Julius asked him to consider a two person mission as personal favour.  Pleased, but also a little suspicious.  The Wizard King was a notorious meddler in the affairs of his magic knights, and if anyone outside of the Black Bulls knew that Finral was having family issues it would be Julius.  The micromanager.  </p><p>They were being asked to follow up on reports of mage-traffickers working in the border town of Ayre.  Young, inexperienced magic users were going missing from minor noble families across the kingdom.  That in itself was not a new development.  The Vaudes were not the only ones to put prestige above the nurturing of their children.  Runaways were not uncommon.  But a recent raid on a stronghold across the border in the Diamond kingdom had freed a number of young Clover Kingdom magic users.  They claimed to have been kidnapped and sold across the border by a group under the control of a man named Barat.</p><p>Further investigation had opened up a number of leads around Ayre, and now Julius needed reliable evidence.  The exam was the perfect opportunity to  move around in the borderlands without arousing suspicion.  He wanted a pair of magic knights to go undercover as a disreputable scoundrel and a naive young noble.    Perhaps, he had said with an infuriating smile, Yami might know of someone who fit the bill. </p><p>Yami nodded and ground his cigarette out under his heel.  Marx had frowned, but the Wizard King had said, ‘Excellent’.</p><p>He handed over the mission paperwork and wished Yami good luck.</p><p>--</p><p>Finral never went far, even if he was in a mood.  In the year since he had joined the Black Bulls, Yami had never lost him.  When their tiny corner of the shared barracks became too intense, he would be on the roof.  He had been on the roof a lot this week.</p><p>Yami stuck his head out the window and yelled, “Hey, Finral.  Get in here.  We got a job.” </p><p>The portal opened moments later and Finral stepped through.  He was pale with dark rings under his eyes and his hair was more untidy than usual.  His clothes were crumpled.  It looked like he was not sleeping much.  “A mission?”</p><p>“From the Wizard King himself,” Yami said and handed over the pile of papers.  </p><p>He swiped an empty box of take out food onto the floor and slouched on the sofa with his boots on the table.  Finral perched on the back of a chair to read the papers. His expression went from initial tired interest, to incredulity, then to bordering panic.   </p><p>Yami grinned at him.  </p><p>“Are you sure about this?” the boy said.  He was rereading now.  He might be stuck on the bit that said ‘the young knight should pretend to have ice magic as per the arrangements made with the contact.  Henceforth this knight will be referred to as the Bait.’  Julius had a wicked sense of humour.  </p><p>“Yep. We’re sure.” </p><p>“But do you think we’re the right ones?  I can see you as the villain trying to make a bit of illicit cash, and I can kind of see the other stuff.  But are you sure you want me?  You’ll be going in blind and it could be dangerous.  We don’t know what kind of power this Barat has.  You need someone brave with good magic to watch your back.”</p><p>Sometimes Yami wanted to punch every bastard in the Vaude family, starting with the father, and ending with stupid Langris.</p><p>“It’s a Black Bull mission and the Wizard King gave it to us.  Who else is going to do that part?  What about I ask Vanessa or Gordon?  Charmy?  I need someone who can get us out in a hurry.  Maybe we could rescue a few damsels on the side?”</p><p>Finral looked unconvinced.</p><p>“Look, don't be so worried.  We go in, we take down the bad guy and then you get us out.  Easy as that.  I'll keep you safe.” </p><p>“But the exam is this week.  I thought you were going to see if there were any candidates you liked.   My brother’s going to be there this year.”</p><p>As if Yami did not already know.  He played dumb.  “Do you think he’s Black Bulls material?”</p><p>“Well, no.  Not so much.  But my family will probably expect me to go and see how he gets on.”</p><p>“You’ll have to explain to them then, won’t you.  A mission from the Wizard King takes precedence over family visits, I’m afraid.”</p><p>Finral tugged on the hem of his shirt.  “You haven’t just made this up so I don’t have to go to the exam with my brother?”</p><p>“Don’t flatter yourself.  It’s the Wizard King’s seal.  He never makes things up.”  Sure, Julius had been known to wiggle things, exaggerate or omit more information than he included, but Finral did not need to know that.  The Wizard King was far above the reckoning of a junior magic knight.</p><p>A shout came from the street outside as some kind of disagreement bubbled over into violence.  Finral startled at the noise, then realised that he had overreacted and blushed.  He rubbed the back of his neck.  “So you’re saying my choice for the next few days is to act as bait in a dangerous undercover operation.  We’ll be going against an evil bastard with unknown magic who trafficks powerful magic users across the border.  Or I can visit with my family.”</p><p>“See, when you put it that way,” Yami said.</p><p>“I’ll get my stuff.”</p><p>--</p><p>An hour later they were standing at the front of the barracks.  The place was normally busy with people, but today it was quieter than the streets beyond.  Most mages were busy with exam preparations and security duties in the city.  </p><p>“I hate these lodgings,” Yami muttered for the thousandth time.  “This is not what I was promised when I said I’d lead the Black Bulls.”</p><p>“You said the Wizard King told you to take the Bulls,” Finral reminded him, also for the thousandth time.</p><p>“Yeah.  And one of my conditions was that I didn’t have to stay here with all these other people.  I hate sharing.”</p><p>“You need to find us a new place then.”</p><p>Yami clapped a hand on the boy’s shoulder.  “Not today.  Today we take down some bad guys.  Tomorrow we’ll find a new base.”</p><p>“If we survive the evil mages and the being bait thing.”</p><p>“That’s the spirit.”  </p><p>The first part of the plan was a portal as close to Ayre as possible without arousing suspicion.  Finral brought them to a small, well concealed clearing not far from the village where Yami bought most of his cigarettes.  They would travel the rest of the way by broom.  Even if Finral could have made a portal into the town, they did not want Barat to see that his magic was not the ice he had been promised.  </p><p>They disagreed over the next part.  They would be flying in on a single broom.  </p><p>“I could ride my own broom.”</p><p>“You’re meant to be a prisoner.  Prisoners don’t get their own brooms.  And you’ll have your hands tied, so you can’t fly, can you?  Give them here.”</p><p>Finral protested even louder and stuck his hands behind his back.  “I am not letting you tie me up.”</p><p>“It won’t be tight.  You’ll be able to get out of them if you need to.”</p><p>“How about we tie your hands together then?”</p><p>“Funny.  How about I hit you in the face and then you’ll look the part.”</p><p>The kid sighed and held his hands out in resignation.  Once the rope was looped around them and tied off, he made a last attempt at negotiation.  “You know I can’t make a portal like this.  So if we need to get out fast, you’re going to have to wait for me to get free.” </p><p>“Stop worrying.  I told you I’d keep you safe.”</p><p>Finral climbed on the broom first, and muttered, “I’m not even sure how I’m meant to fly like this.”  </p><p>Yami climbed on behind him.  He took the broom up fast just to hear the kid yelp and grab on with his tied hands.  “See, you can fly a broom just fine.”</p><p>“This isn’t flying.  It’s called trying not to fall off,” he squealed. </p><p>---</p><p>Ayre was a rough little border town.  Yami had visited a few years ago with the man who sold the cigarettes.  They had drunk in one of the inns, and Yami’s recollection was of dank alleys and shady gamblers.  The locals who had attempted to hustle him were unsuccessful, and he remembered the subsequent bar room brawl with fondness. For once, his reputation preceding him might help with the mission.</p><p>If Ayre had been a little rough then, now it looked like it had been ground zero in a fight between two full magic knight squads.  Smoke was billowing from the ruins of buildings.  Nothing over two storeys high had survived.  Tents and lean-to shelters were scattered through the rubble.  The dank alleys and taverns were either boarded up or gone altogether.   Yami spotted the shack with the blue door that Marx’s contact had specified as the meeting place.</p><p>He could feel the tension in Finral’s shoulders as they came in to land.  There would be no need to rely on his acting ability to look the part of the scared young noble.  They brought the broom down just to the north of the town.  </p><p>“I could untie my hands,” Finral whispered.  “Just so I could get us out of here if we need to.”</p><p>Yami patted him on the shoulder.  “No can do.  Come on.  Let me do the talking”</p><p>He pushed the boy in front of him and began to walk towards the shack.</p><p>Animals scrambled about in the gutters for scraps and the few people they saw were hunched and did not look up at the newcomers.   Yami felt their ki as they hurried away.  They knew what was about to happen to the young man being shoved through the streets.  </p><p>The shack was bigger than the others in the makeshift camp.  Two guards stood at the door, so Yami supposed they must be in the right place.  He nodded at the female guard and said, “Hi, delivery for Mr Barat.”</p><p>He gave Finral a gentle nudge.  The boy squawked and stumbled forward.  “Hey,” he said, then closed his mouth as the same guard strode over to stare down at him.  She was as tall as Yami and just as broad.  Her expression showed no change as she inspected Finral from head to foot.  </p><p>“He isn’t much, is he?” the male guard said.  He was shorter than the woman, with a shaved head and untidy beard.  His eyes were dark and hooded under thick eyebrows.</p><p>Finral quivered but did not reply.</p><p>The woman pinched his cheek and opened his mouth to check his teeth.  When she slapped him across the face, Yami objected.  “Stop damaging the merchandise.”</p><p>The boy spat blood on the ground from his split lip, but still did not speak.</p><p>“What’s his magic?” the man growled.</p><p>“Ice mage.  They told me he could do some nice stuff.”  </p><p>“So, let’s see it.”</p><p>Yami snorted.  “Nope.  I was told to meet with Barat.  I’m not showing off the goods to the crappy door wardens.”</p><p>The woman scowled and raised her hand to slap Finral again.  Yami caught the blow before it could connect.  “I said, stop damaging the merchandise.  Take us to see Barat.  I want to be paid and get out of this hellhole.”</p><p>The guards glanced at each other.  The man said, “The kid’s got plenty of mana.  I can’t tell what kind, but ‘Barat’ will know.”  He put an odd inflection on the name, as if it was something mysterious.</p><p>“Let’s go then,” Yami said.  He edged closer to Finral and used the movement to put himself between the guards and the boy.  Yami was the only one who got to slap him around.</p><p>The female guard pulled open the shack door.  There were stairs leading down into the darkness.  The man said, “Come with us.”  He led the way inside.  Yami nudged Finral again to get him to follow.  Once they entered, the door closed behind them.</p><p>Yami was concentrating on the ki rather than the mana, so he felt Finral’s fear spike before he detected the rush of unknown magic.</p><p>Then the darkness became absolute and swallowed everything.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yami woke without any transition. One moment he was unconscious, the next he was aware of raised voices and the smell of dirt and blood.  He resisted the urge to open his eyes and  concentrated on gathering sensation and ki</p><p>A hoarse male voice was shouting, “Show me your magic, stupid,” the sound of a blow, “stupid”, another blow, “kid.”</p><p>The sound of a cough and a protest.  “Can’t.”</p><p>That was all Yami needed to hear.  He opened his eyes and pulled on the mana.</p><p>“Don’t think about it,” a voice whispered in his ear.  “We’ll kill you if you move.”  He felt a cold blade at his neck.</p><p>Shit.  </p><p>Now that his eyes were open, he could see they were in a large basement with two exits.  He guessed it was underneath the shack with the blue door.  The male guard from the door was the one yelling.  He held Finral by the neck with an outstretched arm.  The boy was trying to balance on his toes but was hampered by the ropes looped around his wrists.  As Yami watched, the man aimed another blow at the ribs with his free hand.  When it connected, the sound of bones breaking was audible even over the grunt of pain.</p><p>“This one’s awake,” said the voice at Yami’s shoulder.  It was the woman guard from the door.  </p><p>“What the hell have you brought here?” the man demanded without taking his eyes away from his captive.  Finral’s struggles were becoming weaker as pain and lack of air began to have an effect.</p><p>“You’re Barat?” Yami asked even as he saw the answer in the ki.  This was Barat, the leader of the gang that had kidnapped the mages.  There was a deep connection to the woman with the knife too.  Husband and wife?  They had done a good job of disguising their identities earlier.  Or maybe Yami was getting slow. </p><p>“Yeah,” Barat said.  “You expected someone taller?  Now tell the kid to show us his magic or I’ll kill you both.”</p><p>Yami pushed himself up to stand.  The woman hissed and followed his movements with the knife.  He ignored her.  “He’s not going to be able to do anything if you break him.”</p><p>“We already asked nicely,” the woman said.  </p><p>“You need to untie him.  Then you can do magic, can’t you kid?”</p><p>Finral looked in Yami’s direction.  There was blood on his face from a head wound and he did not seem quite able to focus, but he blinked and nodded.</p><p>“We’re not untying him,” the woman said.</p><p>“You aren’t going to see his magic then, are you?  Tell them.  What kind of magic have you got?”</p><p>Barat let his arm down a little so that Finral could get his feet on the ground.  The grip on his neck must have loosened too as he managed to croak out, “Ice.”</p><p>Barat growled and tightened his grip again.  “See, I don’t think that’s true.  I can tell when I touch your skin, and I’m getting the feel for you little princeling.  There is plenty of mana in you, but it isn’t ice.  It’s something interesting though.”</p><p>“Hey,” Yami improvised.  “His father said it was ice.  If it’s not, then we can do another deal.  Maybe it’s something better?”</p><p>“And maybe it's a trick.”  </p><p>“Give me a break.  I was told he had good magic, and I’ve brought him here to get paid.  If it’s not ice, then it’s something else.  You said that.  Let’s just see what he’s got and then you can decide if you want to kill him.”</p><p>Finral understood that.  He struggled again and tried to protest.  It only made the grip around his neck tighten.  His lips were beginning to turn blue.   Yami needed to get over there.</p><p>He knew he could take out the woman beside him, knife or no knife.  She was distracted by Barat and was not concentrating on her captive.  But it would take time to disable her and Finral would be vulnerable in those moments.  Barat’s ki was pulsing with anger and fear.  He knew there was something off about the trade.  At the moment he was balanced between the belief that Yami was telling the truth and just cutting his losses by killing them both.  If Yami tried something, it would be a death sentence for the boy.</p><p>So much for keeping him safe. </p><p>He needed to get closer.  </p><p>“Look, just let me untie his hands and he can show us.  She can keep her knife on me so I don’t try anything.  He’s not going to do anything else, look at him.”</p><p>Finral’s eyes were glazed and he had stopped struggling. </p><p>For a moment Barat wavered.  He wanted to believe that there was still something in this for him.  He brought his arm down, but Finral was barely conscious.  His knees buckled and he sagged against the hand still holding his neck.  </p><p>Something snapped in Barat.  His ki became a complicated mix of revulsion and embarrassment.  It was as though he was being overwhelmed by an intense, childlike horror.  Yami had sensed the same from Jack once when their teacher demonstrated the whip during training and there was always a similar reaction from Finral if someone walked too close with a burning candle.  It was a deep, instinctive response that left no room for reasoning.  The woman with the knife sensed it too and she tensed.</p><p>Barat’s anger flared and he roared. </p><p>He lifted Finral off the ground again.  Then with both hands and all his strength, he threw the boy across the room and into the furthest brick wall.  </p><p>Yami would see the impact in his dreams for years, always in slow motion as Finral’s head slammed against the wall.  For a moment he hung there, before gravity caught up and he collapsed face first to the ground and lay still.  In Yami’s dreams, he always saw the blood and hair in the broken bricks, rather than the blood on the back of the boy’s head. </p><p>But if he only saw it in his dreams, he heard it even when he was awake.  The crunch of bricks and bones breaking.  The wet sound of blood.  His own hoarse breathing.  </p><p>He hears it for years.</p><p>--</p><p>The woman was frozen and her knife was away from Yami’s neck at last.   Barat continued to scream in rage, but he had not moved.  He was still caught in primitive fury. </p><p>Yami sensed the moment to act.  He shifted out of the woman’s grasp and across the room.  He needed to reach Finral before Barat could break from the  memory that held him.  Then there would be a chance to fight back.</p><p>He skidded to a halt at the boy’s side.  He was a mess, but he was still breathing through bubbles of blood on his lips.   Yami pulled the ropes away from the wrists.  They had almost worked themselves loose and fell away with a gentle tug.</p><p>Barat and the woman reacted at last.  He seemed to collect himself from whatever memory had possessed him, and his roaring stopped.  The woman lurched towards Yami, but he held up his hand.  “Now you both really don’t want to try that,” he said.  He moved to position himself between their attackers and the boy.  They wanted to get to Finral?  They were going to have to go through him.  </p><p>The woman brandished her blade, and Barat had Yami’s katana.  That was just rude.</p><p>“So, you’re an agent,” Barat said, with some semblance of his previous calm.  His eyes were wide though, as if whatever had triggered him still had some grip of his actions.  </p><p>“Yeah,” Yami said.  “Tired magic knights, here to confirm that you are enemies of the Clover Kingdom.”  </p><p>They needed back up.  A whole squad would be ideal.  He wished he knew how much time had passed since they had arrived.  That period of unconsciousness was someone's magic, and Yami had no sense of how long he had been out.  Marx would send in reinforcements if they had not made contact after four hours.  The squad of magic knights could be on their way now, or they might have to hold out for hours yet.  </p><p>He did not think Finral had hours.</p><p>Barat sneered.  He raised his fingers to his mouth and emitted a loud whistle.  At the signal, a crowd of low ranking soldiers marched into the room.  Yami guessed forty, maybe fifty in total.   </p><p>Shit, and shit again.</p><p>They arranged themselves in a semi-circle between Barat and Yami with the precision of well trained troop maneuvers.  This was no bandit operation, these were Diamond kingdom soldiers.</p><p>Yami kept part of his awareness on the boy at his back, despite the troops deploying in front.  Finral could get them out of here if he woke up, so that was still plan A.  Plan B was beating up these soldiers and waiting for support.  That was riskier.</p><p>Time to improvise again.  “That sort of changes things.  You’ve got a lot more people than I expected.  Maybe we could discuss this.”  He paused as he pretended to consider.  “Did you want to know what kind of magic the kid has?”</p><p>He was playing for time and Barat should have been suspicious.  But there was something about the man’s ki that suggested that the question was important.</p><p>“I can’t get a feel on it,” he said.   </p><p>Yami flashed his most wicked grin.  “Pretty accurate spacial magic.  Handy guy to have around.”</p><p>“Ah.  Yes,”  Barat said.  Naked greed flickered in his eyes.  Spacial magic was rare and more useful than any other kind for illegal activities like people smuggling.  Ice mages were a dime a dozen and handy if you wanted to, say, attack another country.  But being able to secretly move people and equipment hundreds of miles was worth more than any offensive mage to this kind of operation.  </p><p>With that carrot dangled, Yami hoped that Finral was safe from further injury for the moment.</p><p>Yami was not going to tell Barat that the boy was more than ‘pretty accurate’.  He was one of the best spacial mages Yami had ever met. Only a few could open portals with Finral’s absolute accuracy and none with his speed.  Spacial magic tended to be big and showy.  What was the point of Cob’s stupid doors after all?  Most could work between a limited number of places or just in line of sight.  Finral’s ability to work the intricate stuff like cigarette lighters and wine glasses as well as multiple people over hundreds of miles would have been recognised and nurtured by any other family than his own. </p><p>People traffickers would not take long to recognise the potential.  </p><p>The truth of the revelation made Barat pause.  A spacial mage would be a very handy addition to his operation.  </p><p>“So,” Yami drawled.  “You interested in paying me now?  I’d quite like to get out of here with my skin intact.”</p><p>The woman answered.  “No, he said they were agents, magic knights.  He’s trying to trick you.”</p><p>“Yeah, right.  Tired magic knight here.  Do I look like someone with a death wish?  Have you seen all your guys?  I’m not fighting my way out past all that.  You give me my money, I go back to headquarters in a day or so because you busted up my ride.  I tell them what I know, you’re already long gone.”</p><p>Barat said, “How do I know I can trust you?”</p><p>“You’ve got my ride, I told you.  You let me go, how fast do you think I can get back from this hellhole on a broom.”</p><p>Behind him, he felt Finral’s ki shift as he dragged  himself back to consciousness.  He was tougher than he looked.  Plan A might be still in the game.</p><p>Yami needed to keep the focus on him.  “So, I tell them that you captured us, took the kid, I escaped, and we’re all happy.  I get some ready cash for my retirement, you get a spacial mage, and the magic knights get a lead they can follow back to an empty ruin in Ayre.”  </p><p>Barat’s ki was clear.  The lure of a spatial magic user was strong enough to overwhelm his natural caution.  The woman was more wary.  “You bashed up the kid, Barat.  I’m not sure if Morven can even heal that.  You and your childhood traumas make everything worse.  But even if she can, what makes you think he’s actually got spatial magic that you can use?”</p><p>“It is spatial magic, I can feel that.”</p><p>“Yeah, and that’ll be handy if all he can do is send stuff across the room.”</p><p>“Hey,” Yami said.  “He’s good.  How do you think we got here?”</p><p>The woman snarled.  “Barat.  Just put them back to sleep again and we can talk about it.”</p><p>“You know that could kill him, right?  You busted him up good.”</p><p>The soldiers arrayed in front of him were still tight in formation.  The threat of Barat’s magic did not seem to concern them.  </p><p>Finral’s ki nudged closer to consciousness again.  </p><p>And the game is back on, Yami thought with relief.</p><p>He stepped backwards so that he was standing over Finral.  </p><p>“Do you know, guys?  I think I’ve had second thoughts.  I think I’ll just keep him after all,” He flashed a feral grin and let his grimoire open.  Barat and the woman turned from their own argument back to their captives.  He could feel the soldiers' response through their ki but they were too slow to make any kind of offensive move.</p><p>“Dark Magic.  Concussive Shock.”  He let the magic loose.</p><p>He hated this spell.  It was powerful, but indiscriminate.  There was just no style in it.  The further the shock travelled, the more powerful it was, until it hit a solid object like a wall or a person.  The nearest people would be down for a couple of minutes.  Barat and the woman would be out for more like ten before the effects wore off.  Only the very centre was protected.  That was why he had moved closer to Finral.   </p><p>Yami’s ears rang as the shockwave knocked the soldiers to the ground.  He hunkered himself down over the boy as the residual power reflected from the walls and roof and knocked debris around them.  He hoped that anyone not taken down by the blast might be caught up in the rubble.  A lump of the roof caught him on the shoulder.  What a stupid spell.</p><p>Under the noise of the building collapsing, Yami checked on Finral.  His face was covered in blood, and his eyes were closed, but he was almost awake.  His right wrist was bent at an unnatural angle from the impact with the wall.</p><p>“Hey, Finral.  Wake up.  Wake up or I.  Will.  Kill.  You.”  Yami punctuated each word by slapping his hand on the ground.</p><p>There was a definite response.  Just a moan, but progress.  </p><p>“FINRAL.  Now.   We need to get out of here RIGHT NOW.  And you are sleeping on the job.  Up, now.”</p><p>The kid cracked open his eyes and squinted against the light.  The worst of the debris had settled, but Yami could hear the nearest soldiers beginning to shift as they recovered from the blast.</p><p>“That’s it.  We’ve got a job to do, and you’re going to need to get up.”  </p><p>The eyes cast around, then settled somewhere around Yami’s ear.</p><p>“Good.  You with me?”</p><p>Finral mumbled something incomprehensible.  </p><p>“Good enough,” Yami said.  He hoisted the kid upright by his uninjured arm.  He ignored the moan of pain and the grinding of broken bones.  </p><p>“Make a portal, Finral.  Get us out of here.”</p><p>Yami kept a grip of the boy as he seemed to consider the request.  He was about to yell again when Finral seemed to make a decision.  Make a portal.  His usually confident form was very wobbly indeed.  He supported the broken wrist with his other hand, but he did not seem to feel the pain.</p><p>It took longer than Yami was used to for the familiar shimmer to open up in the air.  It was frayed at the edges and smaller than normal.   It was almost as wobbly as Finral.</p><p>No time to worry about that now.  The spell was not going to last long.  Neither was its caster judging by the way he was leaning into the arm holding him up.  “Let’s go.”</p><p>He threw Finral through first, then jumped after.  On the other side, Yami twisted to face the portal in case anyone tried to follow.  His foot slipped a little, but he was in time to see the shimmering light collapse on itself. </p><p>He heard Finral do the same behind him.</p><p>Then his brain caught up and he realised why his foot had slipped.  And why the place was so cold.  Snow.  “Damn, Finral.  Where did you bring us?”</p><p>There was no answer.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The portal had taken them to a frozen woodland.  They were surrounded by tall fir trees bent heavy with icicles and the ground was white with snow.  Fresh flakes were falling from the late evening sky.  It was silent.  There was no sign of life, no tracks, no houses.   Just him and Finral.</p><p>It was as far from the chaos in Ayre as it was possible to get.  </p><p>“Finral,” Yami said to the unconscious boy.  “Where the hell are we?   You and your damn magic making me lazy.”</p><p>This was bad.  Marx had given them a communication disc to check-in, but it must still be in Ayre with the katana and the rest of their kit.  The larger back up team would be sent in and find the shack leading to the basement. They might find Barat and some soldiers.  They would find Finral’s blood all over the ground.  </p><p>They would not find Yami and Finral.  Because they were here.  Wherever that was.</p><p>The boy had not woken up after being thrown through the portal.  He was still breathing, but it was laboured against the broken ribs.  There was a small trail of blood from his mouth that Yami hoped was from the split lip rather than the lungs.  His wrist was a mess and the wounds on the front and back of his head continued to ooze.  There was no sign that he was ready to wake up soon.  He needed recovery magic about an hour ago. </p><p>“Way I see it," Yami said. "I think we’re stuck here for the night unless you wake up and make us a portal to a sensible place this time.  Don’t think you’re going to manage a broom and it's getting too dark to walk anywhere in these trees."  He sat on the ground and sighed.  "Gotta’ admit, Finral, this is the reason I never wanted to be a squad captain.  If you mess up, you shouldn’t bring other people down with you.  Julius knows I’m not good people.”  He ran his hand through the boy’s hair.  “Shit, you’re cold.  Let’s see if we can get a fire before you freeze.”</p><p>He stripped some of the branches from the trees and set the larger ones ablaze with his magic.  He used the smaller ones to line a hollow on the ground.  Finral needed to get off the snow.  His lips were turning blue again, this time from cold.  </p><p>While Yami worked he listened for any other signs of life, but everything was muted.  On a clear day the dense smoke from the green-wood on the fire would have been visible for miles, but now it was swallowed by the night.  Once it was big enough to just need occasional new branches, Yami lifted the boy onto the mat of leaves, then lay down at his side to preserve as much warmth as possible. </p><p>“Hey, Finral.  Getting sort of lonely out here on my own.  You fancy waking up any time soon?”</p><p>There was no response.  That was all he could for the moment, so Yami lit his second last cigarette and waited.</p><p>It took another half an hour for the first sign of returning consciousness.  There was a hitch in the boy’s breathing and he began shivering.  That meant the body had warmed enough to generate its own heat.  There was firelight reflecting in his open eyes.  “Hey Finral, you cold?”</p><p>The boy blinked but did not answer.  </p><p>Yami brought out his water bottle.  “You think you could manage a little to drink?”</p><p>“Hurts.”</p><p>“Yeah, I get that.  Come on, I’ll help you.”  </p><p>He was careful of the busted wrist and broken ribs as he eased Finral upright to lean against his chest.  The boy sunk into the hold for the warmth.  The movement seemed to exhaust him and he let his eyes close for a moment again. </p><p>“No more sleeping Finral.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” he mumbled.  “Too cold for sleeping.”</p><p>“That’s right.  Now.  Drink.”</p><p>He lifted the water bottle to Finral's mouth and let a little dribble pass his lips.  He swallowed greedily, but it provoked a coughing fit.  Yami held him steady until the worst of it passed and the boy was left weak and shaking.  His hand came away red as he wiped it across his mouth.  “Think… I’d like to go back to sleep now, boss.”</p><p>“No.  I told you.  Stay awake.  Just drink more slowly.”</p><p>He was more cautious this time and managed a couple of mouthfuls before he had to wave his uninjured hand to get Yami to take the bottle away.  </p><p>“Do you want to tell me how you feel?”</p><p>“Told you.  Hurts.”</p><p>“I need more specifics than that.”</p><p>There was a pause of just breathing, then he said, “Ribs.  Head.  Arm.  Dizzy. Really tired.  Did I get beat up?”</p><p>“Yeah.  And then you opened a portal here.”</p><p>“I did?”  Finral tried to look around, but the movement jarred his head and he winced.  It was too dark to see much beyond the fire anyway.  The snow continued to fall.  “I don’t remember.”</p><p>“So you don’t know where we are?”</p><p>“Hmm.”</p><p>“Stay awake. Do you know where we are?”</p><p>“I a’ways know wh’r I am.”  His eyes were closed again.</p><p>“Finral.  You need to stay awake a bit longer.  You might know where we are, but I don’t.  We need to get back to base.  Can you get us home?”</p><p>Again, there was only a small noise in reply.  </p><p>Yami splashed some of the contents of the water bottle on Finral’s face.  He made a pained splutter.  “‘S for?”</p><p>“Stay awake.  We need to get home.”</p><p>Blood was dripping down his face with the water droplets, but at least his eyes were open again. Even if they were unable to focus.  “I can’t see straight, Yami.  It hurts to breathe.  My head is about to explode. The only thing holding me up at the moment is you.  I cannot make a portal.”</p><p>Then, of all things, he giggled.  It was exhausted and more than a little hysterical.  “I made a portal like this and you went through it.  Tha’s like some crazy trust thing.  It coulda been into a mountain. Or the sea.”</p><p>“Yeah.  I thought you’d have the sense to take us home.”</p><p>“You said you were gonna find us a new place.”</p><p>“Not in the woods, Finral.”</p><p>“Yeah.  S’ppose.”  His eyes closed again.  “I really need to sleep.  When’s the others comin’?”</p><p>Yami sighed.  “They don’t know where we are.  They are going to go to Ayre.  Vanessa is going to be very pissed off when she can’t find us.  You know what she's like if you're not home in time for curfew.”</p><p>“Sleep first, then por’al home.  Sorry Yami.” He was heavy again against Yami’s chest, and seemed to be losing the battle to stay conscious.</p><p>"Not your fault, kid."</p><p>There was no reply.  </p><p>--</p><p>“Where did Barat go?” Vanessa demanded.  Her threads tightened around the soldier they had found in the ruins of Ayre.  His leg was broken.</p><p>“There’s a tunnel.  It comes out to the...”  He screamed.</p><p>William Vangeance said, “Where does it come out?”</p><p>“North.  North.  Beside the quarry.  Stop.”</p><p>Vangeance nodded.  “Good.  We shall proceed there.”  He began shouting to his Golden Dawn squad.</p><p>Vanessa frowned.  “Wait.  What about the two knights?  Where did they go?  Did they take them?” </p><p>“M… magic,” the soldier choked.  </p><p>“What. Does. That. Mean,” she said, emphasising each word with a jab of her finger.</p><p>“There was an explosion, and when I…” He squealed as the threads tightened further.  “When I looked they was gone.  The little one, he was hurt, but the big one was okay.”</p><p>Gordon had wandered towards a dent in a nearby wall.  Vanessa watched as he inspected the ground.  He picked up one of the broken bricks and brought it over.  </p><p>He mumbled something as he handed it to her. It was an ordinary brick, cracked as though hit with some force.  The damaged side was dark with congealed blood.  There were distinctive light brown hairs tangled in it.</p><p>“Shit,” Vanessa said, and punched the soldier in the face.</p><p>--</p><p>Yami woke Finral every hour or so through the night.  The first time he had been almost alert.  No, he could not open a portal.  Yes, of course he knew where they were.  No, he could not tell Yami where that was because ‘478 south and 17 west of the capital’ was a useless location to someone without a map. ‘Two portals away from where the blond had dunked him in the river’ would not help either.  Yes.  YES, his head still hurt and yes, he was cold.  Yes, it hurt to breathe.</p><p>Don’t mention the blood on his lips when he was consumed by coughing after he answered.  Don’t mention that he had stopped shivering again even though the fire had suffered from lack of fresh wood.  Don’t mention that he had vomited even the little water he had managed to swallow.</p><p>Each subsequent time Yami tried to wake the boy through the night he was less responsive.  His answers went from sentences, to single words, then incomprehensible mumbles.  As the darkness began to lighten with approaching morning, there was just silence and no change in the slack features.  The only colour on his face was the red line of blood tracking from his mouth after the last bout of coughing.  He was a dead weight in Yami’s arms and the only sign that he was still alive was his shallow breathing.  </p><p>It was the head injury, Yami knew.  The lungs were bad, and the wrist would cause trouble if it was not properly healed.  But he had known men who had been fine after a blow to the head, only to drop dead hours or even days afterwards.  Owen had explained that if there was bleeding inside the skull it could compress the brain until it could no longer function.  Sometimes it happened as soon as the injury occurred, but sometimes, if the bleeding was slow, it could accumulate over hours.  The person became more deeply unconscious until a recovery mage fixed the damage.  Or they died.</p><p>He was not ready for Finral to die.</p><p>As soon as it was light enough they were going to move.  The only question was what direction to go.  Last night Finral had said something about the place the blond had dunked him in the river so that implied that there were other people near here somewhere.  </p><p>Yami began to prepare as soon as he could make out the shapes of the branches against the sky. He lay the boy gently on the mattress of leaves and branches and stood up to stretch out the stiffness of the awkward position he’d been in all night.  </p><p>“Okay.  Let’s find out where we go next.”</p><p>He sent out a pulse of magic.  It was effective at finding other people, but it was neither subtle nor specific.  It would alert any magic user to their presence and the mana he sensed back could be a small helpful village or bandits set on murder.</p><p>He sensed two groups of people.  The largest was at least two hours away south even if he had been walking unencumbered.  No chance of reaching that with Finral unconscious.  There was a closer group, maybe only an hour’s walk to the north west.  He guessed it was a small village with twenty or thirty people at most.  He could feel small animals and game all around.  So, the trees probably stretched to both populations.  There was no chance of hanging out by a road and waiting for someone to go past.</p><p>Towards the north east there was something else.</p><p>He had never felt anything like it before.  It was as if something just swallowed his magic.  It felt concentrated and no larger than a single building.  He could not feel any people, </p><p>He tried again, even though sending magic across these distances was a major drain.  It was the same.  He could sense the two groups of humans and still that place where his magic was just absorbed.  So not just a fluke.  Despite the situation he was intrigued.  He tried to remember some of Julius’s wandering tutorials on unusual magical phenomena.  They had been a little drunk most of those times, but Yami had always been impressed by how much of the information had stuck.   Julius had never talked about a place that could just absorb magic </p><p>“Far as I see it, we’ve got two choices,” Yami said as he kicked snow over the fire.  “We could aim for that village, but it’s small.  It’s too small for a recovery mage, but maybe we can get word out from there.  At least there would be somewhere warm to get you holed up while I go get help.”  The fire fizzled out.  “Or, we go to that weird magic sucking place.  It’s close and it’s powerful.  There might be something to help you.”</p><p>His brain filled in Finral’s part - ‘You want to go to a place that absorbs magic just because it’s nearer.  It could be a dungeon full of monsters.  This is a terrible idea.  You are trying to kill me, aren’t you?’</p><p>Yami told his inner-Finral voice to shut up.</p><p>“Right,” he said instead. “No more arguing.  Time to head out.”  As gently as he could he lifted the boy into his arms.  There was no response even as he felt the fractured ribs grate under his hands.  He ignored the new flow of blood from the lips even when it dripped onto the snow.  </p><p>He aimed north east towards the point where his magic had just disappeared.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The walk through the forest was hampered by close set trees and brambles, but at least the snow had stopped.  As they went further downhill, only patches of white remained lying on the ground and soon even that vanished.  Yami had to put the boy down twice so that he could use his magic to cut through the undergrowth and on both occasions he set out a pulse of mana.  He had got them turned around once, and if that didn’t wake the boy up to complain about his boss’s sense of direction then nothing would.  </p><p>The point that the mana was being absorbed was consistent and stationary.  That probably ruled out a person as the cause.  There was nothing unusual about the trees that they passed and there was plenty of small wildlife so they were not being affected by whatever it was.  Any sign of what lay ahead was obscured by the branches.</p><p>Finral was still breathing.  On the other hand, he never made any sign of returning consciousness, even when Yami had to lie him in the snow to hack his way through branches.  The head wounds still oozed slowly and the blood from the mouth was a steady trickle now.  Yami had managed to find a position that seemed to protect the broken ribs from too much jostling, but it felt like an insignificant gesture given the boy was going to die without recovery magic.</p><p>Yami did not notice how close they were to their destination until he almost walked into it.  One minute he was pushing through branches, the next there were no more trees in front of them.  Zero points for situational awareness, he thought.  The boy would have made a cutting comment, but even the Finral-voice in his head was quiet now.</p><p>In the centre of a large clearing was a single building, if it could be called a single building when it looked like a whole village piled on top of itself.  Some parts looked derelict, others were pristine.  There were at least three floors, sometimes six or more tumbled on top of each other.  None of the windows matched.  The turrets leaned into each other and all the chimneys were lopsided.</p><p>“Look at this place,” Yami said in awe.  </p><p>He loved it.  It was perfect.  He acknowledged that his reaction might be based on the fact that it wasn’t, at least at first glance, a dungeon full of terrible monsters.  But it was the most incredible building he had ever seen.</p><p>He sent out a final magic pulse and yes, it was still being absorbed by something.  But even this close it was still a passive effect.  He felt no difference to his own mana level, so it was not absorbing anything not directed towards it.  Either it was working on an even smaller range than the building, or it could only take active magic.  </p><p>“See, I told you Finral.  No dungeons with monsters.”</p><p>Nonetheless, Yami was cautious as he approached the mansion.  He kept his senses wide for any threat, but he could not feel any danger.  The ki of the whole place was benign.  He could see insects around the wild flowers and there were birds singing nearby.  </p><p>If he had not been so wary, he might have missed the disturbance in the long grass of the front lawn.  At first he thought it was a discarded pile of fabric.  Then he spotted the white of bone poking through the holes in the material and the smooth dome of a skull.  His mind rearranged the material into the clothing of two people.  He glanced up and saw a turret window above the two bodies.  Judging by the finery, they had been a noble man and woman.  Perhaps the owners of this building. They must have jumped months ago by the state of the remains.</p><p>And yet, the mansion did not feel evil.  Two dead people in the garden, and still Yami felt only a deep appreciation for the place.  There was a story here, but it was for later.  He had enough trouble for now with the unconscious boy in his arms.</p><p>He opened the front door with a shove from his shoulder.  The entrance corridor beyond was dim.  There was a definite sense that the place was empty of life.  Everything was covered in dust and it was even more silent than the trees in the snow.  “Anyone home?” he shouted, more for appearances than because he expected an answer.</p><p>He was right.  There was no reply.</p><p>The first door on the right led into a sitting area, well furnished with expensive chairs and side tables.  There was a bookshelf lined with ancient volumes.  He lay Finral on one of the sofas and positioned him onto his side to keep his airway as clear as possible.  His breathing was beginning to rattle through the blood that kept pooling at his mouth.  He was cold to touch, despite the heat that Yami was generating from the exertion of getting them here.  When he opened the boy's eyes the pupils were blown wide and did not react to the light.</p><p>He scanned the room.  Old houses like this meant nobility.  And nobles living this far from civilisation would have a means to communicate with the rest of their class.  That meant magical objects.  If the two outside were any judge, they hadn’t taken their belongings with them.  Yami’s biggest problem would be finding it in all these rooms.</p><p>But for the first time in two days of rotten luck, something fell right.  He recognised the communication disc sitting on a small table next to the bookshelf.  It was as dusty as everything else, but it looked whole.  He fed a small amount of power into it, and was pleased when the mana absorption did not seem to have an effect.  Either the power he was using was too little to trigger it, or it could not take anything that was not directed towards it.</p><p>The disc flared to life.  </p><p>Yami did not have any real plan of what to do when he spoke to someone, aside from demanding that they get Owen.  The recovery mage was the best and if there was a chance to save Finral’s life, it would lie there.  Yami was prepared to use all the force of his personality to get some unsuspecting shop owner to go to the castle and get Owen out of whatever important task he was performing.</p><p>So when the recovery mage's own face appeared on the other end of the communication, Yami lost his words.  </p><p>It gave the other man a chance to say, “Well, Maigret, I haven’t heard from you in a while.  I had almost put this communicator away.  How have things been…”  Then he looked up and saw that the person he was speaking to was the squad captain of the Black Bulls.  He stuttered out a “Yami?”</p><p>“Owen.  Needing some help here.”</p><p>To the recovery mage’s credit, he did not let the unexpected confuse him for long.  He had spent years dealing with medical emergencies after all.  He said, “What do you need?” without asking why Yami was using someone else’s communicator. </p><p>“I’m at a crazy house in the woods.  We met a bit of trouble in Ayre and, well, to keep it short, Finral, my spacial mage, was injured.  He could do with some of your healing, like yesterday.”</p><p>“I know the house you’re talking about,” Owen said. He did not explain, but Yami supposed there was a reason that this Maigret had a direct line to one of the Kingdom’s best recovery mages.  “Finral, he’s the Vaude boy, isn't he?”</p><p>“Yes.  He’s got a real nasty head injury.  I haven’t been able to wake him for about ten hours and he was pretty out of it before then.”</p><p>“Can you bring him here?”</p><p>“I don’t think so Owen.  I think he’s bleeding into his lungs.  His breathing sounds rough.  He was coughing up blood earlier, but now it’s just a little on his lips.”</p><p>“Let me see him.”</p><p>Yami brought the communication disc to Finral and placed it on the sofa beside him.  His breathing had changed since Yami had last checked him.  Now there were two or three deep rattling gasps that seemed to shake his whole body.  Then an agonising pause that seemed to go on for too long.  Then a couple of small breaths before the cycle repeated with the gasping again. </p><p>On the other side of the disc Yami heard Owen curse and start hurrying around.  “Yami, I am coming to you,” he said.  He shouted at someone on his side of the connection.  “Aralt, I need to leave now.  Yes, it is an emergency.  I’m taking a broom.  Have someone ready to take messages.”</p><p>“Owen?” Yami interrupted.</p><p>“I’ll get to you as fast as I can.  I don’t think anyone’s been out that way that can get me there quicker than flying.  I know that no one’s ported out there before.  I’ll see if I can get closer.” He was breathing fast as though he was running.  </p><p>“What do I do?”</p><p>“Yami.  He’s dying.  That breathing pattern means the body is shutting down.  I don’t know if I’ll be there in time.  He’s going to stop breathing soon.  OUT OF MY WAY,” he yelled at someone.  “I will be there when I can.  Damn, I’m too old for this.  You need to keep him alive long enough for me to get there.  If he stops breathing, you have to do it for him.”</p><p>“I have to do what?  How?”</p><p>“Give me a minute.  I’ll talk you through it when I’m in the air.”  Again he spoke to someone on his side of the connection, “Is Cob still here?  No, don’t get him.  It’ll take too long.  Send  the call team out after me.  And someone, find that Black Bull who was here earlier.  Tell her that her missing squadmates are at Maigret’s.  I know you don’t know where that is.  No one does.  Get her to speak to Aralt.”   He came back to Yami.  “It used to take an hour to get there, but I’ve never tried to do it fast before.  Keep him alive for forty five minutes.  I’m going to put the disc in my bag now.”</p><p>“How do I call you?”</p><p>“You don’t.  Maigret’s communicator only works one way.  Keep it on.  Yell if anything changes, I’ll hear you.”</p><p>The sounds became muffled as Owen’s disc was tucked away, into what Yami assumed was a medical bag of some kind.  There were still occasional shouts and shuffling noises, but nothing was clear.  The image was dark.</p><p>“Hear that, Finral.  We got Owen doing a house call.  And it sounds like Vanessa’s been looking for us.  Clever girl.  So, you heard.  Stay with me for forty five minutes.  You need it to be an order, then it's an order.  Only forty five minutes, or I'll make sure you regret it.”</p><p>'Regret it more than being dead?' the Finral-voice in Yami's head asked.</p><p>That voice needed to shut up again, because forty five minutes did feel like it might be too long.  The boy’s lips were blue and his complexion grey.  The spaces between those gurgling gasps for air were getting longer.  Twice Yami was ready to yell into the communicator before another breath followed the pause.  </p><p>He realised that he couldn’t bear the silence.  He had never thought of himself as much of a talker.  He had junior Black Bulls members for that, and before that the larger Grey Deer squad had been full of people who liked the sound of their own voices.  Here, with Finral so still, he found that he filled the spaces between breaths with his own words.</p><p>“So, kid.  What do you think of this place?  I like it.    It seems like a good place for a Hideout, you know.  And  I bet this place has it’s own wine cellar, so Vanessa would love it.”  He ran a hand through the boy’s hair.   “But, listen, Finral.  A hideout where somebody died would be creepy and real unlucky.  So you have to stay alive for Owen to come.  You hear me.  I told you it's an order.”</p><p>Another breath.  And another.</p><p>“See, that’s right keep going.”</p><p>“Yami,” Owen said through the communication disc.  His voice was distorted by the sounds of rushing air.  </p><p>“Yeah, I hear you Owen.”</p><p>“I’m on my way.  There’s an emergency recovery team following me, but I’ll be able to hold things until they arrive.  Has there been any change?”</p><p>Yami looked at the boy.  Between those breaths, he could have believed the boy was already as dead as the people on the lawn outside.  </p><p>“Same.  We’re still hanging in there.”</p><p>“If he stops breathing you have to be ready, Yami.  I can heal him if he’s still alive, but if he goes too long without air, he’ll be dead before I get there.”</p><p>Yami swallowed.  Here was a limit he didn’t know he had.  Could he do this?  Could he breathe for someone else?</p><p>‘Surpass those limits’, the Finral-voice in his head said.  Smug bastard.  </p><p>“Tell me what to do.”</p><p>“If there are more than fifteen seconds between breaths, you need to get him on his back.  Tilt his head back, pinch his nose and blow into his mouth.  Slow and gentle.  Repeat every five seconds or so.  If it’s just the lungs that are the problem, keeping them going should keep the heart beating.”</p><p>“I’m not sure I like the sound of that’ just’ in there, Owen.”</p><p>Owen’s sigh was audible even over the wind.  “If the problem is the head injury it could affect the heart too.  If the heart stops we can try to keep that going too, but that's much harder.  And if it’s the head injury, that’s much more difficult to heal.  Once the brain is so badly injured, we don’t always get the same person back even if they do wake up.  Are you sure you want all this detail Yami?”</p><p>“Well, shit.  No.  No, I do not.  Let’s back up. If he stops breathing, I do what you said.  On his back, tilt the head and blow into his mouth.  Not sure he’s gonna be too pleased with me kissing him, Owen.”</p><p>Owen snorted.  “Pinch his nose too, remember.  And I promise I won’t tell if you don’t.  Agreed.”</p><p>“I’m never telling anyone anything about this.  Ever.”</p><p>Finral kept breathing.  </p><p>“Whose house was this Owen?” Yami asked.  He did not want to listen to just those gaps between breaths.</p><p>Owen had to raise his voice over the sound of wind rushing past.  “Maigret, her husband and their son.  I haven’t spoken to them for a long time.  I was asked to become involved because of their boy.  He had  some strange wasting disease that seemed to absorb the mana of anyone nearby.  They were devoted to him, but, well, you can imagine there wasn’t much that normal recovery magic could do.  I saw him a couple of times, and the effects were quite peculiar.  We offered to keep investigating, even suggested sending round some high powered individuals to let the boy use their mana for a short time, but in the end Maigret sent us away.  She may have had some other ideas.  I left her that communicator in case she changed her mind.  I wonder what happened to them.”</p><p>“There are two dead people on the lawn outside.  It looks like they jumped out of one of the turrets.  Months ago.”</p><p>“Ah.  That is a shame.  Only the two?”</p><p>“That’s all I saw.”</p><p>“Such a pity.  She was a nice woman, even if her ideas were odd.  I suppose the son must have died too.”</p><p>Yami thought about the absorption of his magic and did not say anything more.  Interesting, but a puzzle for another time.</p><p>“Your young lady from the Bulls was looking for you.  She seems to have made a bit of ruckus in the barracks, and might have interrupted a few important meetings. She’s rather the force of nature, isn’t she?”</p><p>“Was she wearing clothes this time?”</p><p>“She was when she visited us.”</p><p>“I’m sure I’ll find out if not. William won’t let me live it..  Hold on.”  He paused, and watched Finral.  The last gasping breath had been more than fifteen seconds ago.  There were bubbles of dark blood on his lips.  “Hey, Owen, going to try that thing you said.  How far away are you?”  He rolled the boy onto his back and tilted his head back.  Pinch the nose, then blow slowly into the lungs.</p><p>“Ten minutes.”  </p><p>Yami wiped the blood off his lips, but he could still taste it.  He started to fumble for the pulse point at the neck, but realised he could still read the boy’s blunted ki.  The heart was still beating.  It flailed and it’s effort was weak, but it still managed to push life around the body.  “Heart's still beating,” he said aloud for Owen’s benefit, but did not listen to the response.  He leaned over and blew into the boy’s mouth again.  </p><p>And repeat. </p><p>And repeat. </p><p>It could have been ten minutes or ten hours hours.  He lost track of time in the rhythm of breathing.  He’d never been so aware of the mechanics of the process.  He felt his own ribs expand and the rush of air into his own chest, then his controlled exhalation into the boy’s mouth.  He could see Finral’s chest rise unevenly with each breath, then deflate again as the air was pushed out again.  Yami could feel the crackling of the blood in the lungs each time he breathed.  He could taste it.  He could smell it.  </p><p>And repeat.</p><p>And repeat.</p><p>And repeat.</p><p>He kept a part of his awareness focussed on the ki.  The heart still beat.  But he kept everything else focussed on breathing for two.  </p><p>Don’t look at Finral’s grimoire.  Ignore the way it wavers in its own light.  Ignore it the way it looks like it's dissolving.  Ignore it.  Keep breathing.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yami didn’t hear Owen push the door open and hurry in. But he felt the spike of mana as someone pulled on significant power. “Move out the way,” the Recovery Mage said. “I’ve got it now.”</p><p>Yami did as he was asked. He shuffled back on his knees until he knocked against a small table. It fell over with a crash and he jumped. Shit, he was breathing too fast, as though he’d been in a physical fight for his life. His head swam and he tucked his head onto his knees.</p><p>He was never, ever speaking of this to anyone.</p><p>For a moment his focus was still on breathing. In, out, too fast, too harsh. He knew he had to slow it down. But he couldn’t. It was swallowing him. In. Out. The world had contracted to breathing for Finral, now it was even tighter. He was trapped in breathing. Too fast. But still not enough.</p><p>It took every part of his being to pull back from that precipice. With all of his concentration he slowed it enough to hear Owen say, “In through the nose, out through the mouth Yami.” It was easier when the world had expanded to include Owen and the rest of the room. He could feel the dusty carpet under his fingers. He could feel Owen’s massive spell.</p><p>He could smell blood. He could taste it in his mouth. That was almost enough to send him back under again, but he clawed his way back. No. Not again.</p><p>“You back with me Yami?” Owen said.</p><p>“Hmm. Yeah. Mostly.” He pulled himself up to stand. He was trembling, he realised. Push past it. He grabbed his water bottle and rinsed his mouth then swallowed the rest.</p><p>He was never speaking of this again.</p><p>“How is he? Were you in time Owen?”</p><p>The older man smiled and Yami’s knees almost buckled under him. He steadied himself on the bookshelf and allowed himself to look at the kid’s grimoire. Still there. Whole again.</p><p>“Yes. I was in time,” Owen said. He held up a hand to forestall Yami’s response. “He’s not out of danger, but I’ve managed to stabilise things for the moment. He’s breathing on his own now, see.” He waved Yami over to his side.</p><p>The familiar aura of Owen’s powerful water based magic surrounded the boy. Even with the ripple effects from the water, Yami could see the rise and fall of the boy’s chest. He felt his own chest constrict for a moment, but forced it down. </p><p>“The most urgent problem was the breathing. I’ve already started the repair. Two broken ribs had punctured the lung. They nicked a vessel that bled into the space and filled it with blood. It will take some time to clear the tissue. It cannot be done too fast or I risk the circulatory system collapsing, but it’s a relatively simple fix.”</p><p>“Relative to what?”</p><p>Owen’s smile faltered. “Relative to the healing required in the skull and brain. There are two fractures to the skull, and at least one large bleed that I can detect. There might be another smaller one too, but I haven’t had time to delve too far. I’ve slowed the bleeding there, but it’s going to need more than just my power to repair.” He sighed and fixed his glasses. “And you must be prepared, Yami. Sometimes we cannot do anything for the damage that has been done. This kind of injury can cause problems in ways we can’t predict. Even if nothing goes wrong he’s still looking at months of recovery time.”</p><p>Yami looked at the boy. The water magic tinted out the terrible pallor, so he looked better than he had moments ago. But still, months of recovery time, even if everything went well. Damn.</p><p>“He’s alive now. There is a fighting chance. That’s what we concentrate on. I’ve got him stable, and the rest of my team will start the real work when they arrive. It won’t be safe to move him for some time.”</p><p>For a moment, Yami just watched the boy breathing.</p><p>Owen said, “My team do not know about this place, Yami. The people in the garden? Maigret and her husband? Do you think you could manage that?”</p><p>“Yes sir.”</p><p>“And perhaps you can call your squad to let them know what’s happened before they tear the Capital apart. Aralt will help.” He reached his free hand into his robe and handed over a communication disc.</p><p>Yami allowed himself a hand on Finral’s shoulder before he left.</p><p>The sun was still high in the sky when he opened the front door again. He was surprised for a moment that it was still the morning. It had been less that two hours since they had reached this crazy building. It felt like weeks.</p><p>On closer inspection, the two dead people on the lawn were more like skeletons wrapped in fine clothing. There was still a hint of pale hair around what he assumed was the woman’s head and the man was clutching a picture in his bony fingers. They had been out here long enough for the wildlife to destroy the flesh, but not so long that the clothing had rotten away.</p><p>The manual effort to dig a grave felt cathartic. He could have used his magic to dig, or even to disintegrate the bodies, but he did not know what these people believed or would have wanted. A grave felt right. Their house had saved Finral’s life, at least for the moment, and Yami felt that the labour was the smallest thing he could do for their memory. He chose a quiet spot close to other ancient gravestones at the side of the house.</p><p>He found a rusted spade beside an overgrown vegetable garden. The earth was good for planting, he thought. Even more reason that the house would be a good base for a magic knight squad. Not a squad of his, he thought. The adrenaline was wearing off and the guilt was beginning to settle in him. He was not the right person for this. Julius had got him wrong.</p><p>Once the grave was dug, he returned to the remains. He gathered the bones in their clothing to carry them. He placed the woman’s remains into the hole first. “Maigret,” he said aloud. He did not know the man’s name, so he said nothing as he placed those bones on the dirt. He would have to ask Owen.</p><p>Where was their son, he thought.</p><p>He was shovelling the earth back into the hole when six mages on broomsticks landed with a clatter on the lawn. They were quick and efficient about unloading their equipment and entering the house without looking at the crazy building. He would need to thank them. And Owen, for convincing them to come to this out of the way place to heal some minor magic knight on the worst squad in history.</p><p>Once Yami filled the grave, he stretched out. The work had loosened muscles that he had not realised were still tight from his march through the forest. He felt warm. He took out Owen’s communicator disc and thumbed it on.</p><p>Aralt appeared. He looked harried. “Yami,” he said. “Thank heavens. Talk to this woman. I don’t know any of the answers she wants.”</p><p>The image swirled as Aralt’s disc was grabbed from his hand and Vanessa appeared. She was flanked by Gordon and then Charmy as she climbed on the furniture. “Where are you?” Vanessa demanded. “What happened? This man,” she spat the word, “says that you called here. And you needed Owen. But he won’t tell us what happened or where you are!”</p><p>Yami smiled despite himself. He’d missed squad members who spoke back more than he had realised. “It’s because he doesn’t know. We’re in some house in the forest. I still don’t know where it is.”</p><p>“Finral always knows where he is,” Charmy said.</p><p>“Yeah, well, he’s not real chatty at the moment.”</p><p>“Yami,” Vanessa said. “Tell us what happened in Ayre. We went with the Golden Dawn team. We found your katana. There was so much blood and no sign of you two. And then how did you end up there? Aralt says that Owen went to a place hundreds of miles from Ayre.”</p><p>“Hundreds of miles. Hmm. Going to have to get the kid to push those distances.” When Vanessa frowned at the non-answer, he held up his hand. “We were attacked in Ayre. Finral was injured. He made a portal that brought us a couple of miles from this house.”</p><p>Vanessa let out a breath of air with relief. “So he’s okay. God, we were so worried.”</p><p>“He isn’t okay. He shouldn’t have made a portal.” He paused and rephrased. “I shouldn’t have made him make a portal. He said we could have ended up inside a mountain.”</p><p>“But if he could tell you, it can’t be that bad.”</p><p>“He told me that yesterday Vanessa. He hasn’t woken up since. Owen and a pile of recovery mages are with him now.”</p><p>Charmy put her hands over her mouth and Gordon began mumbling. Vanessa whispered, “More than just Owen.”</p><p>“Owen says he’ll be fine,” he said. “But it could take a while.”</p><p>Vanessa did not buy the simplification. Her frown deepened. “You don’t need a ‘pile of recovery mages’ for something that will be just fine, Yami. We’re on our way,” she said. She turned to Aralt, “Find out where this house is now.”</p><p>Yami thumbed off the communicator. He might need some time to prepare for Vanessa’s fury when she found out how bad Finral’s injuries were. He sat on the grass and lit his last cigarette.</p><p>-- </p><p>When he re-entered the front room, it had been transformed into a medical wing. It was full of steady blue light from recovery magic. Three of the new mages were working with Owen on maintaining the healing field while the others had moved the furniture and were now cleaning with ruthless efficiency. Small tables and chairs were piled to one side to allow free movement and everything was now free of dust.</p><p>Owen said, “Rednicht will check you for injuries.”</p><p>The indicated mage came closer. Yami threw up his hands and stepped back. “No, wait. I’m fine. I just carried his ass here. I couldn’t do that…”</p><p>Too late, the mage had encased him in fire recovery magic. Its warmth tickled head to toe. There was no way to escape its grip, but he continued to protest. “Owen, this isn’t necessary. It’s the boy that got hurt, not me.”</p><p>“It would be quicker if you do not protest, young man,” the mage said. She moved her wrinkled hand around to pick up the feedback from the fire recovery spell.</p><p>Yami settled for glaring at her with his best death stare. She seemed unaffected. When she was satisfied she let the spell dissipate. “Some muscular strain. A nasty bruise on the shoulder. It’s nothing a good meal and a warm bath won’t cure,” she said. “You should eat.”</p><p>He ignored her wave towards a bag with bread, fruit and cheese, even though he realised that he was hungry.</p><p>“Sulking is unbecoming,” Owen muttered just for Yami’s ears as he stood close.</p><p>“How is he?”</p><p>“It’s going to be a few more hours before I can give you more information,” Owen said, then sighed. “The lungs are clearing and seem to be holding on their own. We’re working on the skull now. It’s going to be a slow process. Rednicht’s right. You should eat. Go and wait for your squad.”</p><p>“They are going to be angry when they get here.”</p><p>“You’ll survive. They’ll survive too.”</p><p>Yami grabbed a pile of food and found himself a spare chair from the discarded furniture. He set himself up in a corner where he could watch the mages working as well as the door.</p><p>Once he had eaten he settled back into the warmth of the sun coming through the window. There was no change to the unconscious boy lying on the sofa, and the mages were silent in their slow dance, swapping in and out of the healing according to choreography that Yami did not understand. The air was filled with the low buzz of the healing spell, accompanied by occasional crackles of fire magic, or ripples of water magic.</p><p>Yami had not slept last night as he kept watch on Finral. He felt his eyes closing in the warmth. He ignored Owen’s tolerant smile. There would be enough to deal with when the others arrived. For the moment he let sleep take him.</p><p>--</p><p>He woke to the sound of the front door being yanked from its hinges. That would be the rest of the Black Bulls arriving. Owen glanced up and said, “Yami. Stop them coming in here until they know what is happening.” The other recovery mages were still smooth and silent. The boy was motionless in the middle of the spell.</p><p>Yami dived for the room door and managed to get out into the corridor before Vanessa barged straight in.</p><p>“Yami,” she shouted. “Talk. Now.”</p><p>He remembered that chase through the witch forest. Vanessa was more terrifying at this moment than the witch queen herself baying for his blood. Gordon and Charmy were assembled behind her. She looked ready to walk over Yami's corpse to find Finral. He said, “Okay, you need to calm down.”</p><p>Oops. Mistake.</p><p>She walked up to him and stood on her toes so that they were nose to nose. “Never, ever tell me to calm down when my friend is hurt,” she hissed at him in fury. Her ki was like a blazing torch ready to burn the building down.</p><p>New technique. “Okay. I’ll tell you, but you need to not shout.”</p><p>“I won’t shout when you tell me what happened to Finral. Goddamnit.”</p><p>“I told you. He was hurt in Ayre. We went to the rendezvous with Barat and it was fine until they used some sort of sleep magic. They went for Finral, threw him against the wall. Broke his wrist.”</p><p>“We found the damage,” she said.</p><p>“I knocked most of them out, but concussive shock is too big to really do much damage. While they were out, I made a mistake.” He paused. Vanessa did not interrupt. “We should have just holed up and waited it out, but I told Finral to make a portal even though he was still out of it. Thought he’d aim for home, but he brought us into the woods near here. He woke up a couple of times, last night. He said he thought he just needed to rest before he could get us back to barracks. But. Well. Never happened. I got us here this morning and got through to Owen. He knew the people who lived here. He offered to come and heal the kid up.”</p><p>“With, and I quote, ‘a pile of recovery mages.’ Just how badly is he hurt, Yami.”</p><p>Yami rubbed his hand over his face. This was his squad. His juniors. He should be protecting them.</p><p>Better than he had protected Finral? He was the worst squad Captain ever.</p><p>“Yami,” Vanessa said. “I can get the others to go away. But you need to tell me.”</p><p>He took a deep breath. “You all want to know?” he asked.</p><p>All three nodded.</p><p>“Okay. But I offered you the choice, remember. No complaining later.” He remembered the way the grimoire had wavered around its edges. “He nearly died. Maybe he sort of did. He wasn’t breathing on his own. His lungs were so full of blood that they stopped working. His skull is fractured in at least two places. Owen says there is blood compressing the brain. The pile of recovery mages are here because Owen thinks they can fix it up, but even if they do, he can’t promise that the kid who wakes up… if he wakes up… is going to be our Finral.”</p><p>Vanessa’s anger collapsed. She threw her arms around Yami and hugged him hard. Charmy clutched his leg and Gordon patted Vanessa’s shoulder. “You bastard. I knew it was bad,” she said through tears.</p><p>“Yeah. I know you did. I needed to tell you here. Couldn’t do this over a communication disc.” He held her until the tears slowed and she pulled away to stand on her own. “Owen says you can go in. But you need to be quiet. For medical reasons, maybe. Or because that Rednicht woman is proper scary.”</p><p>Vanessa gave a tearstained smile. “Okay, boss.”</p><p>“You good?”</p><p>“I am. I will be.” She turned to her companions. “Gordon, you come with me. Charmy, wait here.”</p><p>“So,” Charmy said when the others left. “Where’s the kitchen in this place?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The kitchen Charmy found was soon busy with sheep cooks making a meal for the recovery mages and the rest of her team.  Yami pulled up a chair to watch.   Neither of them commented on the small pot of Finral’s favourite soup simmering on an out of the way hob.</p>
<p>Vanessa was thoughtful when she came to find them.  Charmy piled her plates with cakes and pastries for the recovery mages and had her sheep cooks carry them through to the front of the house.  </p>
<p>That left Vanessa and Yami alone in the kitchen with the smell of home baking.  </p>
<p>“Owen says it was very close,” she said after a long silence.  “He’s not making any promises, but he said he was ‘hopeful’.  That’s good, isn’t it?”</p>
<p>“If Owen says so.  He’s the best recovery mage I’ve ever met.”  Yami stared into the distance.  He felt numb.</p>
<p>“Yeah.  I know.  Finral’s just so still.  It seems wrong to be just waiting and not doing anything.  At least Charmy can make dinner.”</p>
<p>“Yeah.”</p>
<p>“Owen said he'd be dead if you hadn’t brought him here.”</p>
<p>Without warning, all Yami’s fear from the past day caught up with him and became overwhelming rage.  It swelled up inside him.  </p>
<p>Vanessa and Owen had it wrong.</p>
<p>He’d been given this responsibility and he had been so confident.  Finral had told him it was dangerous and Yami had said he would keep him safe.   Shit, it had been Yami that had tied his hands together, not a villain.  The image of the boy being held by Barat because he could not get his hands free in time flashed in his mind.</p>
<p>He could taste blood in his mouth, could feel bones grate under his fingers.  He could hear the crash of a body against a wall.</p>
<p>This was his fault.  </p>
<p>He yelled and threw his cup at the wall.   His magic responded and the cup exploded into dark magic infused fragments of pottery.  Vanessa ducked.</p>
<p>“No,” he growled.  “If I hadn’t taken him to Ayre.  If I hadn’t shoved him through his damn portal.  If I hadn’t waited all night before coming here.  If anyone else had been looking out for him but me.  Instead he’s being kept alive by recovery mages and he might never even wake up!”  He took a breath.  “Vanessa, I’m going to ask Julius to take the Bulls back.  I’m not the right person for this.”</p>
<p>“Yami!” she said.  “You can’t.”</p>
<p>“Don’t boss me around Vanessa.  I messed this up bad.  I put my hand up for him at his exam even though he can’t do an offensive spell if his life depends on it.  He knew this was dangerous.  He didn’t want to go.  I promised I’d keep him safe, and I GOT HIM KILLED.”  The plate went the same way as the cup.</p>
<p>“He isn’t dead.”</p>
<p>“He.  Stopped.  Breathing.  If that’s not dead, I don’t know what is.  He is only still alive because this house was here, and Owen didn’t throw a communicator disc in the trash months ago.  I’m not the person for this.  Julius got the wrong guy.”</p>
<p>He felt the fury drain away as fast as it had risen.  He was tired.  Tired of worrying about other people.  </p>
<p>Vanessa said, “You need to ask Finral when he wakes up.”</p>
<p>“Didn’t you hear Owen.  He might not wake up.”</p>
<p>She said.  “Okay, Yami.  I’ll make you a deal.  If you can’t ask Finral in the next week, then you can hand the Bulls back.”  She was lifting the fragments of the dishes with her threads and placing them on the table top.</p>
<p>“Tricky witch,” he muttered.  </p>
<p>“Is that a deal?”</p>
<p>“No.  Damn it.  A week.”</p>
<p>She smiled.  “I think I need a drink.  There must be a wine cellar here somewhere.”</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>Vanessa was on her way to being drunk on pilfered wine when Owen brought Charmy and Gordon to the kitchen.  Charmy set up plates of food for them, but she was the only one who ate.  </p>
<p>“I need to go back to the city,” Owen said.  “There are other people I need to see.  I’m going to leave a couple of mages here, and they are going to keep the spell going for at least a couple of days.  I’ll  reassess things when I come back tomorrow.”</p>
<p>“How is he?” Yami asked.</p>
<p>Owen drank his tea.  “No worse.  The lungs are clear of blood and the broken ribs are almost healed .  If that was the only injury, I’d be expecting him to wake up tomorrow with a bit of pain, and be back on his feet in a week.  The injury to the skull and the brain is going to take longer and is more uncertain. We made a good start and now the body has to do its own healing with what we’ve given it.”  He raised a hand to stop their questions.  “I don’t know when he’s going to wake up.  I don’t know if there will be long term consequences.”</p>
<p>“What kind of consequences are we talking about?”</p>
<p>“Best case scenario, he wakes up from this in a few days none the wiser.  But most people who survive injuries like this have some problems with headaches at least for a while, and to a greater or lesser level, concentration issues, mood changes and memory problems.  Most of those things improve over time.  In more complicated cases, we might see seizures, muscle problems, difficulty with mobility, that kind of thing.”</p>
<p>“And the worst case scenario, Owen?”</p>
<p>“The worst case is we do everything right, but the damage is too severe.  Sometimes it can take months for the brain to recover enough to wake up.  Sometimes it never does.”</p>
<p>“Honest.  Thanks,” Yami said. </p>
<p>“You should make yourselves comfortable here.  I don’t want to move him.  I’d have brought him to the capital if we were just dealing with the head injury, but moving him with the rib injuries is too risky for the moment.  I seem to think that this mansion needs living in, and no one I know does living quite like the Black Bulls.”</p>
<p>“Damn right,” Vanessa said and glared at Yami before raising her wine glass in a toast.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>With Owen’s permission, they arranged for one of the team to stay in the sick room at all times.  The others found accommodations in the lower floors of the mansion.  None of them were in the mood to explore further.  Yami and Gordon found a bed that they manoeuvred into the sick room so they could get Finral off the cramped sofa.  The recovery mages held the spell while Yami lifted him across.  No one questioned his right to do it. </p>
<p>The kid was warm to touch now.  The smell of blood was gone and his breathing was peaceful.  He might just be sleeping, except that he was the most restless sleeper that Yami had ever met and would never have been this still. </p>
<p>The mansion settled into a routine.  The recovery mages rotated through duty.  There was always at least one maintaining the spell, but the others would sometimes join the squad for some of Charmy’s cooking.  They were quiet and professional, and refused to be drawn into speculation on their patient’s progress.  They referred all questions to their superior.  </p>
<p>Owen visited through Cob’s transportation spell each morning and afternoon.  He would talk to his colleagues in private first, then assess the patient himself by overlaying his magic on the recovery spell.  He kept a serene expression. It was the best poker face Yami had ever seen, and he resolved never to play Owen at cards.  Once he’d made his assessment, he would make some notes and pass on instructions.  Finally, he would speak to Yami and whoever was sitting in at the time.  For two days the report was, “As well as we could hope.  We just need patience and some luck now.”</p>
<p>The Bulls kept up their rotation too.  There was always one of the team there.  Vanessa started reading a book from the shelves after she asked the recovery mages what she could do to help.  The pretty one on duty at the time had said that hearing the voices of friends and family could help at times like these.</p>
<p>That reminded Yami of the stupid magic knights exam.  Despite the complicated relationship the kid had with his family, they deserved to know he had been hurt.  He asked Owen to pass on a letter to them with pared down details of the events and an open invitation for them to attend.  There was no reply with Owen’s next visit, although he reported that the letter had been received by the head of the household.  Yami considered sending something to the kid brother who was taking the exam, but when he asked Owen, the recovery mage had shaken his head. “The message was received, Yami.  It’s their choice, and I’m afraid it is what I would have expected.  They are not the warmest of families.”</p>
<p>This seemed to validate the role that the Black Bulls had decided they would fill.  Charmy kept that small pot of soup on the heat at all times.  Gordon sat for hours mumbling to Finral and watching the Recovery Mages working. </p>
<p>Yami took the nights.  He pulled up the original sofa and a blanket and dozed to the sound of the kid breathing and the buzz of the recovery spell.  </p>
<p>And all through this, Finral was still and silent.  The recovery mages washed him and changed his clothing.  They made sure his position was changed.  They kept him warm with blankets through the night and cooler through the day.  They brushed his hair.  Sometimes they talked as they worked, explaining the things they were doing.  The pretty young mage would have caught Finral’s eye and this, perhaps more than anything else, made Yami feel sad.   </p>
<p>He had never witnessed their work before in such close quarters before.  He was touched by the care they took of their charge.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>On the third morning, Owen arrived and completed his review in the quickest time yet.  He joined Yami and Vanessa in the kitchen for a Charmy prepared breakfast.  “We’ve done all we can now with magic.  The injuries are repaired and now we have to wait.  The rest is up to him.”  He drank his tea.  “I’m as hopeful as I can be.  It would be okay for him to travel now.”</p>
<p>Yami puffed on his cigarette despite Owen’s frown.  “About that.  Do you think he could stay here?  There’s something about the vibe of the place.”</p>
<p>“Even with the way the bathrooms seem to move around,” Vanessa said.  “I found a library yesterday that wasn’t there this morning.  I think it was the ghost.  And, no Yami.  I hadn’t had a drink.”</p>
<p>Owen gave a thoughtful smile.  “He can stay here for two days. The Vaude family are still in the city, and it might be better to keep him out the way for everyone’s sake.  But if he hasn’t recovered consciousness in two days, then we need to take him back to the Capital.  We’ve replenished the fluids that he’s lost, and given him enough to manage two more.  But any longer than that and he’ll need our help again.  I’ll still come round every morning.  I’m rather fond of these breakfasts.”</p>
<p>Charmy grinned and spooned out another bowl of porridge.  “Anything for our wonderful recovery mages,” she said.  </p>
<p>“Suck up,” Yami said.  </p>
<p>He joined Owen as they allowed the healing spell to dissipate.  For the first time in days he could see the kid without the overlay of magic.  His colour was better, but his cheeks were hollowed as though the healing had taken too much of his own reserves.  He’d lost weight even in a few days, and he was too slight to have much to spare.  He had two black eyes and bruising around the rest of the face.  The head wounds were now covered with bandages.  His injured wrist was splinted and resting over the blanket.  Yami wondered what the bruising on the ribs was like now.</p>
<p>He looked like he was sleeping.  </p>
<p>The pretty recovery mage patted him on the uninjured hand and wished him good fortune.  They took a bag of Charmy’s pastries with them when they left.  </p>
<p>“I’ll sit with him a bit,” Vanessa said.  “You should go and find out where the ghost moved those bathrooms if we’re going to make this into our base.”</p>
<p>“Told you.  It’s not going to be my base.  I’m handing the Bulls back.”</p>
<p>Vanessa scowled at him.  “Talk to Finral first.  You agreed a week.”</p>
<p>Yami said, “I never agreed a thing,” as he left.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The interior of the mansion was just as bizarre as its exterior.  Yami found Vanessa’s library on the second floor, and a set of baths big enough to swim in.  There was an enormous dining room, spacious enough for the Grey Deer and the Purple Orcas to eat in.  There was another small kitchen and a real life dungeon.  He found cramped bedrooms behind doors that looked like they should be opening into a ballroom, and a grand piano room tucked beyond a what seemed to be a closet.  </p><p>He thought he found Maigret and her husband’s bedroom.  There was a small picture of a couple and a young boy with light hair placed at the window.  He looked for any sign of a letter that might explain why they had jumped, but there was nothing.  </p><p>He was also looking for the source of the mana absorption, but despite his wanderings he came no closer.  He had a suspicion of the cause, but perhaps it wanted to stay hidden. Or perhaps it was in a part of the mansion he never reached because his explorations were interrupted.  </p><p>Gordon came running up, heaving for breath and unintelligible as he tried to explain.  In the end it was quicker to just follow as he continued to mutter.  </p><p>Yami tried not to let his fear overwhelm him.  He imagined that something had gone wrong and Finral’s condition had deteriorated.  That he had died and Gordon’s incomprehensible mumbles were ‘They said they did as much as they could, but the damage was just too severe and now you’re going to have to dig a grave in the garden for him too.’</p><p>So when Yami flung open the door to the front room, he first had to check that Finral was there.  He was still on the bed.   His chest was still rising up and down and there was no obvious change to his condition.   “Damn,” he whispered to himself, then turned on Gordon to yell at him for making him worry.</p><p>“What the hell was that about Gordon?  Why did you bring me here if…”</p><p>A small, polite cough from the other side of the room.</p><p>Yami spun round and met the damn Wizard King’s polite smile and wave.</p><p>“Sorry, Yami.  I think that was me.”</p><p>“Shit, Julius.  What the hell?”  Not his most articulate response, but he would stand by it.</p><p>Vanessa was giggling and pointing.  “Your face!” she said, just as inarticulate as her boss.  Once she collected herself she said to Gordon, “Come on, we’ll let the big boys have their talk.”</p><p>There was silence for a time after they left.  Yami took the chance to be sure that the kid was no worse.  Still breathing, still bruised and still ghastly pale, but alive.  Still unresponsive to the disruption in the room.</p><p>“I never did say thank you,” Julius said in the end.  He was watching Finral too.  “For taking him in.  Spacial magic users normally get snapped up in the exam, even if they flunk the test.  But the Vaudes were pressuring the other captains because they couldn’t have their black sheep in a distinguished squad.  I suspect there was money changing hands. ”</p><p>“Bribery?  I knew I wanted to string them all up.”</p><p>“They are an influential family.”  Julius said as though it was a disappointment.  “I met Finral when he was a child.  I doubt he remembers.  The family were showing off his brother at some ridiculous party.  They could not see past Langris’s offensive magic.  He destroyed half a barn and they were so proud.  Later, I watched Finral create tiny portals so he could juggle apples through them.  I’d never seen that level of speed and accuracy so young before.</p><p>“His family should have been able to nurture that, but I think they could only see disappointment.  I hoped that once he was free of them he might reach his potential.  His magic, coupled with that level of situational awareness and he could be an incredible asset on the battlefield.  Imagine a fight where you know the attack is incoming, but you don’t know where from.  Or your own attacks get sent back to you.  Just like those apples.  I couldn’t let that go to waste.”</p><p>“So you invented a whole new squad for him.”</p><p>“Not just him.  I already had the idea.  Finral helped me see that it wasn’t just for commoners and peasants, but all the misfits that the country needs.  We shouldn’t be letting them go bad just because they don’t fit into the nobles' idea of a magic knight.  Look at you.”</p><p>“I’m not so sure about that,” Yami murmured.</p><p>Julius paused in case there was any more, but when Yami stayed silent, he said, “I came here to tell you about the investigation in Ayre.  We found the base that Barat was using.  Vangeance and some of the Golden Dawn tracked them down and brought them in.  We caught twenty two Diamond kingdom soldiers with them.”</p><p>“See, you need magic knights like William.  Capture twenty four criminals and I couldn’t even keep one kid safe.”</p><p>“The Golden Dawn took fifteen high level mages, which is not the same as you and a rookie,” Julius chastised. </p><p>Yami did not answer.</p><p>“We had enough evidence from Owen’s report and the scene to charge them with attempted murder.  Barat’s wife confessed to trafficking mages out of the country.  Turns out Barat has a kind of sleep spell that I’ve never seen before.  We think Finral woke too early and Barat had some kind of overreaction to the situation.  His wife implied there was a traumatic childhood event.  We haven’t got all the details yet, but no matter what, they will be kept in prison for a very long time”</p><p>“Still, I messed it up.”</p><p>“You had insufficient intel, and you went in unprepared.  That was my fault, not yours.”</p><p>“It wasn’t just that.  I told Finral I’d keep him safe, and I didn’t.  He nearly died.  I nearly lost the kid with that clever magic that you thought you were helping.”  Yami looked Julius in the eye.  “I don’t think I’m the right person for squad captain.  You should give the Bulls to someone else.”</p><p>Julius opened his mouth to reply.  </p><p>“No,” Yami waved a hand.  “Don’t you dare say something wise to try to get me to change my mind.”</p><p>“I wasn’t.”</p><p>“You were, you know.”</p><p>“I was going to say that if it’s what you want, I will respect that.  But…”</p><p>“Now you’re going to say it.”</p><p>Julius smiled.  “Only that you should take some time to come to the decision.  See how you feel in a few days.  You don’t have to rush.  But I promise, I won’t try to dissuade you.”</p><p>“Damn.  You said the wise thing even when you were agreeing with me.”</p><p>“I still think you’re the right man for the job.”  He held up his hand against the protests.  “You should ask your team what they think of their captain.”</p><p>Yami looked away from his earnest face.  Damn Wizard King.  “That bunch of idiots.  Who’d trust a word they say.”  </p><p>Finral carried on sleeping.</p><p>Julius smiled again and let the silence deepen.  In the end he said, “So, this building.  Seems quite interesting.  It would make a good base for a squad of misfits.”</p><p>“Yeah, tell that to their next Captain.”</p><p>--</p><p>For two days the routine continued, and now Owen’s deadline was up and there was still no change.  Finral was as unresponsive as when they had arrived in the mansion. Gordon kept up the schedule of regular position changes and hygiene, but Yami was beginning to wonder how long the kid could manage without water and food.  He was fading away in front of them.</p><p>Even Owen’s poker face was showing cracks when he finished his assessment that morning.   He frowned at Yami and said, “He’s going to have to come to the infirmary.  It’s a setback, but we shouldn't worry.  Things might just need to take a bit longer.”</p><p>“Give us until evening,” Yami said.</p><p>Owen pushed his glasses up his nose and sighed.  “Very well.  If he wakes enough to take some water today, then he can stay.  But don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t happen.  He just needs a level of care that we can’t provide here without constant supervision.  And we can’t spare the staff again.  You do understand?”</p><p>“Yeah.  We get it.  There are more sick people in the Kingdom than just here.”</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>“Understood.  This evening.”</p><p>---</p><p>Finral could hear noises.  Perhaps voices.  His nose itched.  </p><p>He did not know where he was.  Or why he was, or when, or how or anything really.  But he knew he’d been in the darkness somewhere and now he wasn’t.  He floated there, listening to the noises that might be voices.  </p><p>“Finral.  WAKE UP now, or I.  Will.  Kill.  You.”</p><p>He felt his breath hitch.  The boss.  He’d been here before.  Yami needed him for something.  He needed to wake up now.</p><p>“What did you say that for?” another voice said.  Woman.  </p><p>“Look.  It worked didn’t it.  Finral.  You’re sleeping on the job.  Get up.”</p><p>Yami needed him for something.  He needed to open his eyes.  But they were so heavy and he hurt and oh, crap, something was wrong.  What had happened?  </p><p>“Hey, hey, kid,  Take your time.” </p><p>He could feel a weight on his shoulder, then a coarse cloth touching his face.  Tears.  Was he crying?  He needed to open his eyes.  </p><p>“Finral.  It's all right.”</p><p>With a force of will that he had not realised he possessed, he cracked an eyelid open.  The room was light and it hurt.  “That’s it,” the voice said.  Yami said.  </p><p>He let his eyes close again for a second, but now the other voice said, “Finral.  Try again.”</p><p>“Hurrs..” he managed to say.</p><p>“Push past it,” Yami said.  Then he was speaking to someone else in the room.  “Vanessa, close the damn curtains.”</p><p>Finral tried again, because Yami needed him to.  This time the light did not dazzle and he could make out fuzzy light and dark shapes.</p><p>“Good job kid.  Do you think you can take a little to drink?”</p><p>He knew those were real words, but he could not make them into any kind of sense.  His brain was pulling him back to the darkness again.  He was so tired.</p><p>But Yami needed him.  </p><p>Something wet was placed at his lips.  Drips of cold fluid ran into his mouth and he licked at it.  He was thirsty, he realised.  He tried to get more, but it was so slow.</p><p>The woman.  Vanessa.  Vanessa said something, but it made even less sense than Yami’s word muddle.  The wetness was taken away and he wanted to cry.</p><p>Yami said, “Just take it slow.  There’s plenty.”  </p><p>Twice more the wetness returned and he felt the cold relief of the fluid in his throat.   But he was losing the fight against the darkness. </p><p>“That’ll do now.  You did good.”</p><p>He tried to look towards the Yami shape, but the darkness was tugging him down.  He was so tired.  “I cann’t,” he managed to slur.  </p><p>Vanessa said, “It’s okay, Finral.  Don’t worry about it now.”</p><p>But he couldn’t leave it.  Didn’t she see.  Yami needed him, and Finral needed to tell him.  </p><p>“I cann’t,” he started again.  He was so tired.  “Cann’t por’al.”</p><p>And Yami.  The bastard.  He laughed.  </p><p>“Go back to sleep, kid.  I believe you.”</p><p>He let the darkness pull him back.</p><p>---</p><p>When Owen returned that evening, Yami met him with a grin. </p><p>“So, he woke up,” the Recovery mage guessed.</p><p>“Just for a few minutes.  He managed some water and…”</p><p>Vanessa interrupted, “And to tell Yami that he couldn’t make a portal.”</p><p>Yami felt his grin grow larger.  “Useless kid.”  </p><p>Owen was pleased when he completed his check too.  “He’s likely to be in and out for another few days.  Get him to drink and if he’s able to manage a little of that young lady’s soup.  I’ll come back tomorrow again, but this is a good sign.”</p><p>--</p><p>That night, Yami kept up his habit of napping on the couch.  He woke from a light doze with the sense of being watched.  He checked the room but nothing was amiss.  Then he saw the candle light reflected in Finral’s eyes and felt his ki.  The kid was awake, if not quite aware.</p><p>“Hey, Finral.”</p><p>There was no answer, but the dark eyes were watching him.  </p><p>“You want something to drink.  Owen said you’d be thirsty.”  </p><p>He kept his movement slow so as not to spook the boy.  His eyes were huge and followed Yami’s movements without a sound.  He poured out water from the jug that Charmy had left and tried Owen’s wet rag technique again.  The response wasn’t as desperate as earlier, and did not seem as exhausting.  Finral managed five mouthfuls before he turned his head away.  His eyes remained open.  </p><p>“Do you need anything else?” Yami asked.</p><p>The kid stared. Then, without warning, his breathing sped up and the wide eyes began scanning the room as if searching for a threat. </p><p>Yami was not sure what prompted him to run his fingers through the boy’s unruly hair.  He took care to avoid the bandages.  “Kid, it’s okay.  Finral.  You’re safe.  You’re overthinking.  Slow down the breathing.”  </p><p>The panicked breaths took an age to settle, then the flickering eyes came back to settle on Yami.  </p><p>“That’s better.  Think you can tell me how you’re feeling?”</p><p>The eyes blinked.</p><p>“Or not.  That’s okay.”</p><p>Yami continued to run his fingers through the boy’s hair until his eyes closed and his breathing settled back into sleep.</p><p>--</p><p>Finral woke again the next morning when Gordon was sitting with him.  When Yami returned with the fresh jug of water he found the quiet man mumbling and Finral hanging on every indecipherable word.  Gordon held the uninjured hand and patted the back of it with a steady rhythm.  When he saw Yami, Gordon jumped with a guilty expression.  Finral’s eyes flicked as though trying to find the source of the disturbance.</p><p>“Hey, Gordon, get back to it.  He’s calmer than he was last night,” Yami said.</p><p>Gordon mumbled something in response and settled back into his position.  It took only a few minutes for Finral to settle again.  </p><p>So it continued through the day.  Each time the kid woke and startled into a panic, Yami or Vanessa or Charmy would throw Gordon onto the chair next to the bed. A couple of minutes of Gordon’s quiet voice and the kid would be calmer.  By lunchtime they decided to just leave Gordon there.  He kept a hold of Finral’s hand even when the boy was sleeping. </p><p>With Gordon’s quiet encouragement they got him to swallow a few spoonfuls of Charmy’s soup.  The effort put him into an exhausted sleep again for a few hours.  </p><p>All day he was silent except for small moans of distress when Gordon moved away too fast, or Yami raised his voice.  </p><p>Owen was satisfied when he visited.  They left Gordon to watch over the boy while they ate in the kitchen.  Charmy had produced another extravagant meal.  Owen was full of news of the magic knights exam.  He discussed his niece's showing and her acceptance into the Blue Roses.  Finral’s younger brother had also made an impression with his offensive spacial magic.  He had been accepted into the Golden Dawn.  </p><p>“Daddy didn’t pay them to keep their hands down this time,” Yami muttered.  “They can keep the inferior copy, I’ll have the original.  Can’t see Langris agreeing to take me out gambling.”</p><p>“I can’t see Langris offering to take you anywhere, Yami,” Owen said.  “I don’t think he quite approves of that use of spacial magic.”</p><p>“Far as I can see, it’s the only use it’s got.”</p><p>Vanessa offered a toast to that.  “But still, I was hoping for handsome new squad mates.  Shame.”  </p><p>“There are better ways to find magic knights.  But if you’re sober next year you can come to the exam with me,” Yami promised.</p><p>She winked.  “It’s a date boss.”</p><p>Gordon accepted his portion of dinner when they returned to the front room.  He ate one handed as he refused to relinquish his grip of Finral.  </p><p>--</p><p>Finral was aware that time was passing, but he could not decide if it was hours, days or weeks.  He coasted along between moments when he knew he was awake and indeterminable periods of darkness.  </p><p>He had managed to differentiate the voices around him into Yami, and ‘others’.  He wasn’t sure how many there were, but each time he woke someone was holding his hand.  That person was talking too.  He did not understand what they were saying, but somehow it did not seem to matter.   </p><p>He could hear Yami talking.  Each time he heard him speak, a dread fell over him when he realised that he needed to do something, but he did not know what.  Then the quiet voice would lull him back.</p><p>--</p><p>Finral became more alert each time he woke, but never tried to speak.  Sometimes he was awake for an hour or more, just watching and listening to the people in the room.  He stopped hyperventilating when he heard Yami’s inside voice, and would try to touch his splinted wrist or the bruises on his face.  Each time Gordon would move the wayward hand back.  He managed more of Charmy’s soup and stopped grasping for water as if he was never going to see it again.</p><p>His eyes seemed to be able to focus better too, and when he was most alert he would watch the correct speaker as they talked.  That level never lasted for long before he was drowsy and disconnected again, but Owen reassured them that it was normal.  The brain was remembering how all the connections worked.  </p><p>It was not all smooth though.  His face would crumple with pain at loud noises or bright lights and even Gordon’s tactile response and quiet words could not calm him.  Yami stubbed his toe on a piece of furniture and his cursed exclamation sent Finral into panicked hysterics.  It took an hour to fizzle out into exhaustion. Even Gordon had not been able to make a difference.  The boy had cried until he slept again and did not wake for six hours.  Yami was preparing to call Owen and find out what they were supposed to do if he slept for so long, when he woke at last, thirsty and irritable.  </p><p>But it was, as Owen said, the direction they wanted to travel.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yami and Vanessa hitched a lift with Owen back to the Capital to collect supplies.  Gordon and Charmy stayed with strict instructions to call if there were any changes.  </p><p>It was strange to be back in the city.  It had been less than a week since Yami had taken Finral on their ill-fated excursion, but it felt like he’d been trapped in the mansion for months.  The poor sleep and worry had taken their toll and he needed the reminder of the rest of the world even for a short time.  </p><p>Word had reached the barracks before them of course.  A surprising number of the Grey Deer asked after Finral and passed on their good wishes.  One asked if he would be able to referee their ballgame next week, and another asked Yami to wait while she collected something for them to take back.  Vanessa, of course, found it hilarious that the ‘something’ was a handmade stuffed animal that Yami had to accept and carry around.  He squeezed it in his pocket and glared at her.  </p><p>Once she collected her belongings, Vanessa headed into the market to stock up on provisions.  She mentioned the usual herbs and ointments, but Yami suspected she’d be getting a few bottles of something alcoholic as well.  One day she’d find herself at the bottom of a bottle and decide to claw herself out again.</p><p>Yami had decided that he was going to leave his belongings here.  The new Captain of the Black Bulls could take a room in the mansion.  He hoped he would still have a space on the Grey Deer.</p><p>He entered Finral’s little room.  It was sparse, as expected for a kid without family support that spent his meagre earnings on entertaining girls.  Yami filled a bag with the clothing he could find.  There was a neat, unfinished letter on the desk.  Yami read it in spite of himself - ‘Dear Langris, Congratulations on getting into a squad.  Perhaps we could meet up sometime now that you're in the capital and we could’.</p><p>It was unfinished.  He had started writing it before the exam, even before he had known that his brother would get into a squad.  What a difference from Finral's exam.  Yami remembered the resigned look on his face even before his number was called.  The Vaude family disgrace would not be joining a magic knight squad with paltry ‘transportation’ magic.</p><p>He’d been honest when he told Vanessa that he wouldn’t swap.  Sure the kid was a coward and a flirt, but he was friendly, loyal and deep within there was a stubbornness that even Finral did not know yet.  What had been a surprise had been his situational awareness and location sense.  He could read a field of play better and quicker than Yami and his unerring sense of location expanded to his companions when they were together.  He always knew where everyone was.</p><p>Plus, he was good at the paperwork and Yami did hate riding on brooms.</p><p>William Vangeance was outside the Deer barracks.  He was giving his small group of new recruits the tour.</p><p>“Yami,” William said.  “I’m glad I met you.  May I introduce the Golden Dawn's new members?”  They were four of them, high born and radiating mana.  It was easy to pick out Langris Vaude among them if you knew his brother.  He might be shorter, but he had similar colouring and build.  But rather than Finral’s easy smile, his expression seemed fixed in a sneer.</p><p>Yami nodded at them. </p><p>“This is Yami Sukehiro, the Captain of the Black Bulls.”</p><p>Noble manners demanded a certain level of politeness on being introduced to someone of higher rank, but Yami was a foreigner and the leader of the worst squad in history.  So the new recruits responded with a combination of superficial good grace and underlying condescension that they must teach at ‘Learn-how-to-be-a-Noble’ school.  Yami flicked ash from his cigarette in response.</p><p>William smiled.  “And how is the young man injured in Ayre?   Finral, yes?  Owen seemed quite worried.”</p><p>Langris started, as though he was surprised that his superior knew his brother’s name.  A flicker of emotion crossed his face, then he schooled it to polite disinterest in the conversation.  They might have been discussing a stranger.</p><p>Yami remembered the letter on Finral’s desk. Seems that Langris was still a little shit after all.  “We weren’t sure for a while.  He was pretty messed up.  Fractured skull and bleeding in his brain, lungs full of blood, but we think Owen got there in time.”  He felt Langris’s ki flare then be swiftly brought back under control.  Hmm.  So not quite such a cold fish.  “He’s been awake off and on, but Owen says there’s still some way to go before we’re sure that he’s looking at complete recovery.  The team came through for him.”  </p><p>“I’m glad,” William said and smiled.  “He has excellent potential.  I’m glad he has you and his friends.”</p><p>Yami looked towards Langris, but spoke to William.  “Someone is staying with him all the time.  We could make arrangements if anyone wanted to visit.”</p><p>Langris glared back, but did not respond.  His ki was closed off again.</p><p>William seemed to understand the undercurrents in the conversation.  He sighed with apparent disappointment, but did not acknowledge Langris.  “Please pass on my best, Yami.”</p><p>Yami went to find Vanessa.  He needed a drink.</p><p>---</p><p>When they returned to the mansion that evening Yami sat with Finral and Vanessa while Gordon disappeared somewhere into the maze of corridors.  The quiet man did try to explain what he was doing, but Yami was just as ignorant at the start of the explanation as at the end.  Vanessa had brought expensive wine to ‘celebrate’, and she poured Yami a small glass before drinking the rest herself.  She was dozing in the chair beside the fireplace.</p><p>Finral was awake and watchful again.  He followed Yami with his eyes and his brow furrowed with concentration as though he was trying to puzzle something out.</p><p>“Kid, I can hear you thinking from here,” Yami said.</p><p>The frown only deepened. </p><p>“Look, I’m not going to be able to help you out unless you give me some clue here.”</p><p>Silence, but he kept up his level of focus.  Something was bothering him.  Yami took a stab in the dark.</p><p>“I met your brother today.”</p><p>That got an obvious reaction.  His breathing hitched and the stare fixed on Yami.  So maybe that was it.  He pulled out his knife and began cleaning under his nails.  He would have lit a cigarette, but Owen would give him grief.  “Got into the Golden Dawn, poor schmuck.  William was giving them the tour.”</p><p>The kid looked away, and shit, was that a tear on his face.  “Hey, hey.  Finral.  No crying, right.”  But he kept his voice low and wiped the tears away with a corner of the blanket.  “I’m not sure if you're pleased or not.  But Vangeance will look out for him, okay.  If anyone knows how to handle nobles with sticks up their asses, it's William.”  Another tear, so that wasn’t it.  Yami tried again.  “Finral.  He did good.  He got into a good squad.  Your…” he stumbled over the words, “Your parents would be proud.”</p><p>The kid gave a small sigh.  His eyes closed again, but there were no more tears.  Yami ran his fingers through the kid’s hair again as he slept.</p><p>He wondered how Julius made this people shit look so easy.</p><p>Vanessa was looking at them.  </p><p>“Boozy witch.  How long have you been awake?” he demanded.</p><p>She smiled.  “Long enough.  You know, you’re not half bad at this,”</p><p>“Shut up,” he said, but he didn’t take his hand away.  Finral did seem to be more settled if he had some kind of tactile contact.</p><p>“So, you met Langris?”</p><p>“Not a patch on our spatial mage,” Yami said.  He looked down to make sure that Finral’s eyes were closed even though his breathing was slow and steady in sleep.  “I told him the truth, that we were that close to losing him.  I said he could come and visit.  He ignored me. I do not envy Vangeance that headache.  Can you imagine the other way round?”</p><p>Vanessa nodded.  They both knew that Finral would be the first person to see his brother, even if he had to do it in secret, and even if he knew he would not be welcome.  That letter was the proof of the efforts that Finral continued to make to try to rebuild some kind of relationship with Langris.</p><p>They sat in silence for a moment, both lost in their own thoughts.  </p><p>“I meant it,” Vanessa said.  “That you are good at this.  Where would we be without you?”</p><p>“Finral wouldn’t be in this state, would he?”</p><p>“No.  You know what would have happened to him, don’t you.  You saw him before his exam.  He was not a kid making good choices.  He’d just walked out on his family, he had nothing in the world.  A kid that only wants to be liked.  There was nothing for him.  And then he’s got the kind of magic that lends itself to unscrupulous people.  He’d be dead by now if it wasn’t for you and Bulls.  Don’t get me started on Gordon and Charmy.  And me.  I’m making all the bad choices I never got to make as a kid, but here I can do it and be safe.”</p><p>“Are you trying for a pep talk?”</p><p>She raised her glass.  “Is it working?”</p><p>“No,” he lied.  “Still don’t think I’m cut out for this.”</p><p>She grinned at him.  “Sure.  Just speak to Finral first.”</p><p>“I will.  If he ever talks back to me.”</p><p>“You’ll be wanting him to shut up again soon enough, you’ll see.”</p><p>--</p><p>Yami napped on the sofa again.  Vanessa went back to the room she had claimed as her own while he slept.  He woke to sunlight shafting through the threadbare curtains.</p><p>Finral was awake and watching him. “So, good morning.” Yami said.  “You ready to get up today.”</p><p>Two blinks, then his brow furrowed and he frowned.  </p><p>“Stop stressing, idiot,  You’re not getting up until Owen tells you.”</p><p>Finral’s eyes cast around the room, and the Finral-voice in Yami’s head supplied ‘Owen?  Where?’  </p><p>“Owen’s not here.  He’ll be back this afternoon.  Until then you get another day of sparkling conversation and wit from myself and the other Bulls.  Perhaps some nourishing soup from Charmy.”</p><p>He knew he wasn’t imaging the way the kid’s nose scrunched up at the offer of more soup.</p><p>“Hey, you don’t like it, you need to tell us.  We’re just guessing here.”</p><p>Did the kid just roll his eyes at him?</p><p>In five minutes that was more interaction than they’d had since he woke up.  It was also the first consistent sign that he was understanding and responding to what was being said and not just the sounds of the voices.</p><p>“So, you want me to ask Charmy for something else.  Sure she could do that pot-potato thing again.”  The nose crinkled again.  “Or that soup with all the carrots that you like so much the last time.”</p><p>He hadn’t realised quite how expressive the eyes could be.  The internal Finral-voice said, ‘Yami, don’t you dare.’</p><p>“So, no pot-potatoes and no carrot soup.  If you could just make me a portal to the town we could…”</p><p>Don’t mention portals, Yami’s brain reminded him a second too late as the kid’s anxiety level spiked.  His expression flicked to full on terror and started shaking.  His lips were moving as though trying to say something, but he made no sound.</p><p>“Okay, okay.  No portals.  Hey, kid,” he put a hand on his shoulder to bring him back to the present.  “I said I believed you.  You tell me you can’t make a portal then that’s good enough for me.”  Still the trembling.  “Finral.  Finral.  You have to look at me so I know you’re listening.  I promise.  You tell me you can’t make a portal, and I won’t make you.  Deal.”</p><p>The terror faded, and was replaced by disbelief.</p><p>“Don’t look at me like that.  I’m saying it, aren’t I.  You tell me you can’t make a portal, I won’t make you.  This whole thing was pretty traumatic.  I have no desire to go through it again.”</p><p>Perhaps the expression was still disbelief, but Yami meant every word.</p><p>The moment was broken by Gordon entering the room.  He was carrying a basin of warm water and a cloth.</p><p>“Oh, hey, look it’s your pretty nurse with a sponge bath,” Yami said.</p><p>The boy’s eyes lit up.  Who would have ever thought that Yami would be delighted to see Finral distracted by the thought of a pretty girl.  </p><p>“Oops.  Bad news.  It’s Gordon.  But he’s got your sponge bath ready.”</p><p>The boy's expression shifted to embarrassment.   </p><p>“I’ll just leave you gentlemen to it,” Yami said as he backed out of the room.  Gordon had proved himself a very capable nurse and Finral looked mortified enough.</p><p>He put his head around the door after breakfast.  Gordon was just finishing up his ministrations.  Finral looked clean and in his own pyjamas.  His hair was still damp and fluffy.  He was exhausted and his eyes were glazed over.  He would sleep again soon.  </p><p>“Good work, Gordon,” Yami said, and got a mumbled response.</p><p>Finral looked at Yami, and the thoughts in his head were easy to read.  “Yeah, you did good too Finral.  Good job getting washed and not looking like a total hobo.”</p><p>The boy gave a tired smile in reply.</p><p>“Now, go to sleep.”</p><p>He let his eyes close and his breathing evened out into sleep again.  </p><p>“He’s like a damn cat,” Yami said.  “Right, I’m going out for a run.  I won’t be far.”</p><p>Gordon said something in reply.  Yami assumed it was an affirmative.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When he returned, Charmy and Vanessa were playing cards at Finral’s bedside.  The boy was awake and studying them.  He was concentrating harder than he did in card games that he was supposed to be playing himself.  Yami poured himself tea and settled to watch them.  </p><p>It was one of the games with sudden shouts that would degenerate into rowdy shouting matches under normal circumstances.  Today the girls were keeping the volume down a bit.  But each time someone called, Finral would  startle until he was jittery with the nerves.  The girls were so far gone in their game that they had not noticed.  </p><p>When Finral scrunched his eyes tight after Charmy’s shout of “Pairs,” Yami decided to step in.</p><p>“Take this somewhere else you two.  Too loud for in here just now.”</p><p>They both glanced at Finral who still had his eyes shut tight.  Charmy was about to start apologising when Yami lifted her by the head and prodded Vanessa in the back.  “Out.  Out.  Come back later.”</p><p>“Sorry, Finral,” Vanessa said and Charmy was starting to sob when Yami closed the door on them.</p><p>Finral’s face was still scrunched and his eyes shut when Yami came back.  Even a moment of silence did not relax him.  </p><p>“Kid, you need to tell me what’s going on,” Yami said in as soft a voice as could.</p><p>“Head hurts,” he replied.</p><p>Yami tried not to let his shock at the real, verbal response show.  “Okay.  Let's just give it a minute of quiet and see if it goes away.  Maybe if you relax a little?”</p><p>“It hurts.  It’s hard to relax when it hurts, Yami.”</p><p>From entirely non-verbal to full on Finral-whine in three minutes.</p><p>“Look, I’m your boss. Do you what you’re told for once.  Have I ever led you wrong before?”</p><p>One of the boy’s eyes opened just enough to let him peek through.  “You cannot be serious.  Do you want a list?”</p><p>“I will take that list.”</p><p>“Head hurts too much.  There’s a list.  It's a long list.”</p><p>Yami could not help his smile.  Maybe things were going to be okay after all.  He ran his fingers through the boy’s hair again and was rewarded by a slight loosening of the tightness around the eyes. </p><p>After ten minutes the grimace had eased a little, but the tightness around the corners of his eyes persisted.  “How is it?” Yami asked, although he could guess the answer.</p><p>“Better.  Not gone.”</p><p>“Is there something I can do?”</p><p>He opened his eyes properly again and squinted against the light.  “You mind?  Tell me wha’ happened?”</p><p>“What do you remember?”</p><p>The kid squeezed his eyes shut again.  “Goin’ out.  Was Knight’s ‘xam.”  Tiredness and pain were slurring his speech.</p><p>“I’m going to close these curtains, okay.  Then I can tell you.” Once the room was darker, he pulled the kid’s hand on top of his own.  “But you have to tell me when to stop.  Tap out when you’re done.”</p><p>He began speaking.  He reached the fight with Barat in Ayre when the tightness relaxed around the face and the breathing relaxed again.  He continued to the portal in the forest just to be sure that Finral was asleep.  </p><p>He managed to slip his hand out and went to the door.  As expected, Charmy and Vanessa were sitting on the floor looking devastated.  Charmy’s face was a mess of tear stains.</p><p>“Kids, he’s okay.  He’s sleeping again.” He let them look in through the door.  “And he was talking, so it worked out okay.”</p><p>“Talking?” Vanessa said.  Charmy wiped away most of her tears.  </p><p>“Full on whining Finral.  He wanted to know what happened.  Come on,” he let them enter the room, “Just for a minute, then let him sleep.”</p><p>They both nodded.  </p><p>Yami gave them a couple of minutes to reassure them that the boy was sleeping and then he chased them back out again.  “Go, cook something.  Drink something.”</p><p>Charmy cackled in delight and hurried off to the kitchen.  Vanessa paused a moment and winked.  “I told you.  Ask him.”</p><p>“He managed to string a sentence together,” Yami said.  “It wasn’t exactly intellectual.”</p><p>“It's us, boss.  It’s never going to be intellectual.  But, even still, it might be right.”</p><p>She walked off after Charmy before he could answer.</p><p>“Tricky witch,” he muttered under his breath.</p><p>The room was warm with the remnants of the fire dwindling.  Yami found himself dozing.</p><p>It was dark when he heard a voice through the haze of sleep, “Yami.” It was so quiet that at first he thought it was Gordon speaking.  When he opened his eyes, he saw that it was Finral.  His eyes were wide and tears stained his cheeks again.  </p><p>“Finral.  What the fuck?  What is it?”</p><p>The kid winced, “Sorry.  Sorry.  Sorry,” he murmured.</p><p>“Hey, no.  Not that.  It’s okay.”</p><p>The tears became harder.  “Wasn’.  Should’a…”</p><p>“Shhhh.  It's okay.  Nothing’s wrong.  You just startled me.  Shh.”</p><p>It was not helping.  The sobs were coming hard now.  </p><p>“Shit.  I don’t know what you need.  I’ll get Gordon.”  He was about to turn to leave when the kid threw his hand at him and grasped at his arm.  It was clumsy and ill-coordinated, but Yami thought he understood.  “You want me to stay?”</p><p>Through the gasping sobs, he thought he saw a nod.  The clasping hand managed to reach his cloak and held tight.  </p><p>“I’m really no good at this, you know,” Yami said even as he gathered the sobbing mess into his arms.  In a tangle of limbs, the kid pulled closer until it was easier for Yami to climb onto the bed and let the boy collapse onto him.</p><p>He remembered the still, cold body in his arms as he walked through the forest.  This felt different.  The kid was warm and shaky in his arms.  And so many tears.  Despite the wetness though, this was so much better.  </p><p>Yami patted the kid’s back.  He was careful to avoid the healing ribs.</p><p>Gordon must have heard the disturbance.  He cracked the door open to check on them.  Yami mouthed “It’s okay.”  Gordon’s quiet mumbled response would not have been audible even without the sobbing mess lying across his chest.  Even the door closing did not seem to register.</p><p>It took an age for the crying to stop, then even longer for the shaking to settle.  Yami thought Finral would have gone back to sleep, but when he heard the quiet, “Sorry,” again he realised that the kid was still awake.</p><p>“Hey, idiot. What’re you sorry for?”</p><p>“You’re wet,” he said to Yami’s chest.</p><p>Yami laughed.  It felt good to laugh about it.  And perhaps the laughter carried on a little too long.  He’d be surprised if Finral was aware enough to catch the hysterical edge.</p><p>He gave the boy too little credit.  He lifted his head and looked at Yami.  “You okay?”</p><p>That really wasn’t going to help the hysteria.  Tear-stained, bruised, as white as a sheet, underweight and unable to stay awake for more than twenty minutes, Finral was asking if Yami was okay.</p><p>The laughter faded as the kid’s expression became more concerned.  When Yami could talk he managed to choke, “Yeah, I’m okay.”</p><p>Finral didn’t look convinced.  </p><p>“Honest.  I’m okay.  It’s you we were worried about.  Shit.  I thought you were dead.  You stopped breathing.  And then Owen said you might not wake up.  You’ve been out of it for a week,”  So maybe he had a reason to be not quite as okay as he thought.  </p><p>The kid patted Yami’s chest in an effort to be comforting.  “Sorry,” he whispered.</p><p>“Stop being sorry.  It was my fault we went to Ayre.  I shouldn’t have made you make a portal when you were out of it.  I shouldn’t have waited so long before coming here.  I fucked up big time.”</p><p>“Oh, god.  I made a portal.  I remember.  You went through it.  That’s like some crazy trust thing.”</p><p>“I know.  You said that.”</p><p>“Don’t remember.  But it is.  Never go through a portal like that again.  It’s not safe.”</p><p>“Yeah.  It could have gone into a mountain or something.”</p><p>“Oh.  I did tell you before then didn’t I?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>He shifted himself so that he was lying on the pillow rather than Yami.  He kept one of Yami’s arms tucked in his grip .  “Thanks, though.  For looking after me.  Then, and now and well, in between.  Even if I scared you.”</p><p>“I wasn’t scared, idiot.”</p><p>Finral ignored him.  “I don’t remember much.  The portal, yeah.  Snow.  But you were always there.  I knew you’d keep me safe.”</p><p>“You nearly died.  How is that keeping you safe?.”</p><p>He shrugged.  “I’m just saying how it felt.  Even if I wasn’t safe, you were there. I trust you.  Always.  The exam last year too.  I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t wanted me on the squad.”</p><p>“You’re talking about feelings aren’t you.  Are you going to cry again?”</p><p>“Maybe.  I think it’s the head injury.”.</p><p>“Go back to sleep.”</p><p>“Yeah."  He paused.  "Please don’t go?”</p><p>“Where am I gonna go?”</p><p>Finral patted the arm he was clutching.  “Good.  Thanks Yami.”</p><p>He closed his eyes and he was asleep within two breaths.</p><p>Gordon cracked the door open after a moment of silence.  The bastard must have been waiting on the other side.  “Could have come to rescue me,” Yami hissed.</p><p>The other man shrugged.  He handed Yami a clean cloth to dry most of the tears from his shirt.  Charmy brought tea.  Vanessa grinned.  “Had your talk?” she whispered.</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“And?”</p><p>Yami looked at his arm being gripped by the sleeping boy.  </p><p>“Doesn’t look like I’m going anywhere.”</p><p>Vanessa smiled and kissed his cheek.  </p><p>Just this once, he only growled at her a little.  He let Finral sleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The day after Yami collected his kit from his former room at the Deer Barracks, Julius sent him a letter.  It read, ‘Glad they made you see sense.  Knew you were the right man for the job, Captain Yami of the Black Bulls. J.’  He never had been one for writing more than necessary.  </p><p>Finral was fractious about everything this morning.  The bedcovers were too heavy, the room was too cold, the tea too hot, the sky too blue.  Only Gordon, and perhaps drunk Vanessa could handle him in this mood, so Yami decided to explore the Black Bulls’ new hideout.  No, he was going to explore his new hideout. </p><p>During the nights he had watched over Finral he had thought on the matter of mana absorption a lot.  He had a good idea what was causing it, and now he needed to find it.  On a whim he grabbed a bundle from the new equipment store before he left.</p><p>He explored six floors before he found what he was looking for.  On the way, he tracked down the missing bathrooms as well as finding Vanessa’s library twice in different wings.  There were more kitchens, something that looked like a court for playing racket ball and more bedrooms than he could count.  </p><p>When he climbed a set of winding stairs to a nondescript corridor he knew he was closing in on the source as he felt a tug at his own mana.  It was behind a plain door that could hide either a banquet hall or a broom cupboard.  </p><p>He pushed it open and was not surprised to see a young man lying on a bed in an ordinary bedroom.  He had long light hair arrayed on the bedcovers.</p><p>“So, you’re the mansion ghost people keep talking about?” Yami said.</p><p>The pale figure said,  “Actually, sir.  I’m not a ghost at all.”   The mana drain had increased, so this was the right place.  Or at least the right person.</p><p>“Cool.  Well, my name is Yami Sukehiro.  I’m Captain of a Magic Knight Squad and I’m looking for a hideout. This place seems to be a good fit.  I assume it’s yours, so could you hand it over?”</p><p>“I’d love to do that right now, but I can’t move any more,” the figure explained in a slow, quiet voice.  He did not move.  “I was born with a strange illness.  The only place I can live is inside this house.  I can’t interact with people much either.  And unfortunately, I can’t survive unless people share a little of their mana with me.  It’s a really odd disease.”</p><p>So, Yami had been right. It was Maigret’s son.  </p><p>He continued, “I don’t know whether my parents met with an accident or just abandoned me, but they have been gone for months now.  I’m a lot of trouble, so no one comes to visit me.  As a result I think I’ll probably be dead in a few more days.  Could you wait just a little longer?”</p><p>Yami considered.  He would explain what had happened to Maigret and her husband one day.  Now there was something else he had to say before the mana drain got too intense. </p><p>“Nope.  No can do.  A hideout where somebody died would be too creepy, and real unlucky.”  They were the same words he had said to Finral.  “You should live.  It would be more convenient.”   </p><p>The kid on the bed did not reply.  Yami did not say that he was repaying a debt to this family and this house.  Maybe he would explain that one day too.  </p><p>“You just need to have lively people in this mansion pretty much all the time?  It might even make you feel better.”</p><p>The boy on the bed stared.</p><p>“Oh, I can feel my magic power draining like crazy.  I better get going.”  But before he left, Yami took out the bundle he had brought with him.  He tossed it onto the bed.  “Anyway, guess I’ll be making you part of the squad, then.  Once you’re able to move around some, if you ever want to protect your team, just put that robe on.”</p><p>He had told Vanessa that the Magic Knight Exam was not the only place to get new squad members.  Sometimes you found them in the strangest places.</p><p>
  <i>end</i>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>We've reached the end of this story.  But somehow it feels a bit like it might be the middle?  After all, Owen said 'months of recovery time' didn't he.  That means there are other little stories to be told.  For example; that thing that happened in the bathroom, how Henry saved the day and what about juggling apples.   There might be more I don't know about yet.   But I needed to get this one out and into the real world before I have fun with the little comfort tales.</p><p>If you enjoyed this, please let me know.  I've loved the comments and the kudos so much.  Even if it's just a little note to say 'I read this', it is appreciated more than you could know.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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